Birth Of The Blackbird
by Talyn Crais
Summary: A man from Earth-119, Jacob Lance, is thrust into Earth Prime after a major catastrophe. Can he become a hero in the wake of his trauma? Set between season 5 and 6 with modifications. In progress. All Reviews/Insight more than welcome. Some bloody moments, will definitely be some NSFW or young audiences content.
1. chapter 1

\- Ray Palmer as the minister?

Open to a wide open room decorated for a wedding. A minister, Ray Palmer, stands in front of a stained glass window stretching the ceiling. A young couple stands in front of him, the man dressed in a white and black tuxedo with a small black bird pinned to his lapel; the woman in an elegant red dress.

"Do you, Jacob Robert Lance, take this woman to be your partner in this life, your wedded wife and companion throughout your days?"

"I do." replies the man beaming at the woman.

"And do you, Thea Dearden Queen, take this man to be your partner in life, your wedded husband and companion throughout your days?"

"I do," the young woman responds, cheeks flushing.

"Then by the power vested in me by the church of Rao and the council of justice, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride!"

The man, Jacob, lifts Theas vale and kisses her passionately. Thunderous applause rings throughout the hall.

Cut to the outside of the building, the hall of justice stands tall.

Cut to an event hall. A large table is set at the front with the bride and groom sitting center stage. On the groom's right sits Oliver Queen beside Laurel Lance-Queen, then Barry Allen and Iris West-Allen. To the bride's left sits Sara Lance and Nyssa AlGhul, then Ray and Felicity Palmer.

A large gap was left between the head table and the guests table for a dancing floor. All manor or heroes and vigilantes sit in attendance, ranging from human, kryptonian and martian. Everyone is laughing, talking and enjoying themselves. Red, black and white streamers dangled from the ceiling and danced in the breeze of air conditioning.

The groom signals to the dj in the corner and the music slowly dims down and the laughter follows. The bride and groom both stand.

"Friends, family, loved ones," Jacob began. "We'd like to thank you all for being here today. Some of you have been with us our entire lives, and some have just recently joined us."

"We'd also like to take a moment and remember those who couldn't be here today, those we've lost along our way," continued Thea.

Jacob unfolded a list of names and the couple began to read from them.

"Ted Kord, Wally West, Hellena Bertenelli, Jason Todd, Barbara Gordon, Tula, Harrison Wells, Roy Harper . Lost but never forgotten." The couple raise they're champagne glasses in toast.

"Lost but never forgotten," the crowd echoes. Thea sits down but Jacob remains standing.

"I would like to give special thanks to someone whom without, I wouldn't be standing here today. This woman did what not many could say they would have done. She took in an orphaned boy after a terrible tragedy and raised him as her own. Life was never perfect, but because of her, it became better. Laurel, words cannot express how grateful I am for everything you've done for me."

With that, Laurel stood up, tears in her eyes and gave Jacob a loving hug. When she let him go he continued.

"Lastly, I want to thank each and every one of you here, for everything you've taught me, or at least tried to. I hope to be a better husband than I ever was a student."

A wave of laughter gently hummed up from the crowd. With a salute from their champagne glasses, Jacob sat down. Oliver stood up.

"I'd like to say something before we kick off the festivities. I've known these two almost their entire lives. I've watched them grow from squabbling children in the grass, to the two fine adults sitting here. Destiny brought you to us and Destiny brought you two together. I couldn't be more proud of the both of you. To the bride and groom!"

"Hear, hear!" came the crowd in turn.

"Now let's celebrate!" Oliver cheered, motioning to the Dj.

Music blared to life from the speakers, causing the streamers to wave and dance.

Some of the crowd got up to dance, some stayed and conversed with those around while others came up to congratulate the couple and gave a gift.

Malcom Merlyn, head of Merlyn Global Consortium and Theas father, was the first to come forward.

"I've arranged for my private jet to be fueled and waiting to take you both wherever you'd like to go for a honeymoon." he said with a small bow to them both.

Jacob stood up and gave Malcolm a warm hug.

"Thank you, Malcolm."

"isn't it about time you started calling me dad?" Malcolm asked with a grin.

Jacob just laughed and let him go.

"Thank you, Daddy," Thea whispered as she hugged him.

Malcolm hugged her tightly, bowed again and shuffled on through the crowd.

Next came Aquaman and his Wife Mera.

"On behalf of myself all of Atlantis, congratulations to you both."

"You both must come visit again soon," added the lady Mera.

"Soon as we can" agreed Thea, bowing to both the King and Lady.

"King Orin," Jacob bowed. "Thank you."

They both bowed slightly in return and left for the dance floor.

Next came Kal-el/Clark Kent. In his hands he had a small leather parcel, which he offered to Jacob.

"It was always a tradition in the Kent family to give the groom a gift," he said unwrapping the bundle, "Of a compass. My father passed one to me, now I pass one to you."

With a smile, he opened the lid and handed it to jacob. Inside was an inscription, etched in Kryptonian.

"May you always find your way?" Jacob asked Clark.

"It's a little Kent humor, but nevertheless true." Clark responded laughing.

"Thank you clark, it's beautiful." Jacob replied, shaking his hand.

Clark smiled at both of them and passed back into the crowd.

Lastly, a hooded man dressed in leather, approached beside Nyssa and presented two jade crystals on leather cords.

"These were mined from the depths of Nanda Parbat. I had my jewelers hollow each out and inside sits a small amount of restorative waters from the Lazarus Pit."

"Just a little something to remind you, you'll always have a home with the league."

Sara said with a wink from beside Thea.

"There's an inscription on the base where the cord connects," Nyssa said holding one up. " الموت مؤقت فقط"

"Death is only temporary." Translated Jacob.

"So you did actually pay attention," Sara laughed while Nyssa nodded in confirmation.

"They are beautiful, thank you." Thea spoke, hugging Sara and Nyssa both.

Jacob picked one up, motioned for Thea to turn around and slipped the leather cord around her pale neck, tying a knot in between the two so it sat just above her cleavage. Thea touched the jewel and smiled. She nudged him to kneel down and turn around, dangling the second jewel around his neck.

"They're perfect," he whispered, standing and hugging both Sara and Nyssa.

The man in leather bowed and left as Nyssa took her seat beside Sara.

A microphone screech interrupted the music.

"This thing on? Hello?" came Joe's voice crackling over the speakers. "There we go. Alright now quiet down everybody, quiet down. It's time we get the bride and groom out here for a dance!."

Everybody cheered in agreement as Thea and Jacob stood up and moved their way around the head table.

"Alright now, this is a special song just for the two of you. Hit it maestro!"

The lights dimmed down to where you could just barely see and a spotlight down down on the couple.

Jacob held Thea close as Joe's smooth deep voice spilled from the speakers, meshing beautifully with the melody.

"Pack up all your cares and woe

Here I go, singing low

Bye bye, blackbird

There's someone who waits for me

Sugars sweet, and so is she

Bye bye, blackbird

No one to fear or mis, understand me

Oh, what good luck stories they all hand me,

Make the bed and turn out the light

I'll be home, with you tonight,

Blackbird, bye bye,

Pack up all your care and woe,

Here I go Singing low,

Bye (bye) bye (bye) blackbird."

As the last few words faded, Jacob dipped Thea down the brought her up and kissed her deeply.

"I Iove you " he whispered to her after breaking the kiss.

"I love you too," she replied, kissing him again.

The lights brightened slowly as the crowd cheered, both for Joe's wonderful singing and for the couple.

The applause had died down, leaving one person slow clapping behind.

"My my my," Dahmien Dark mocked as he stepped forward, more figures moving into the light behind him. "It seems we weren't on the guest list. What a shame."

Oliver whispered something from behind Jacob and with a quick gust of wind both Barry and Jesse flashed through the room, arming those they could.

"You weren't invited Dahmien, take the hint," Malcolm warned standing up and drawing his bow.

"We want no bloodshed," Oliver added, drawing his bow. "But we will if necessary."

"We bring presents though," cackled the Trickster. "Both for the bride and groom and for the audience of this travesty."

"Riddle me this though, my dear Trickster," asked the Riddler. "What do you give to the man who has it all?"

"You don't," came a modulated voice. "It's what you take from him."

Prometheus stepped forwards in his mottled leather and masked hood. Blood was splattered across his chest and droplets dripped like rubies from his sword in hand.

"Let's make this quick," Eobard Thawne groaned, super speeding in beside Dahmien. "I've somewhere else to be."

Jacobs hand tightened on the glock that Jesse had supersped into his hand. He raised it up, pointing it squarely at Prometheus and pulled the slide back, chambering a round. Prometheus let out a crackling modulated laugh.

"Put the gun down boy, you don't have the willpower to become a killer."

Out of nowhere, a started gasp came from Oliver. A long thin bladed dagger was pushed through his chest and heart, sticking out of his back with Slade's hand upon the handle.

"Shouldve killed me when you had the chance, kid," he rasped pulling it free with blood trailing behind it.

Oliver slid to the ground, blood running down his chest and bow dropping from his hands. Laurel sank down beside him, holding him till his last breath passed.

A dozen things happened at once.

Laurel looked up and let loose a ferocious cry, throwing Slade across the room and into a wall.

Jacob turned and fired the gun till it was empty only for Eobard to super speed in front of each bullet, catching them and dropping them with a shrug.

The Toymaker and Trickster released a few little marching soldiers who released bouts of green mist into the air as they marched. Causing Clark and Kara to double over and fall in pain.

Dahmien charged at Thea, only to be met by Malcolm midway.

Prometheus slowly and lazily cut down any hero or vigilante that stood in his path.

Malcolm looked to be gaining some ground, pushing Dahmien back and away from Thea till Eobard sped behind him and phased his hand through Malcolms chest.

It all ended in a blur. Laurel lay with her throat slit by Slade's hand. Trickster and the Riddler danced together gleefully as Kara and Clark slowly choked to death on the Kryptonite gas.

Jacob stood surrounded by Eobards speed mirages. Punches sped their way to him, hitting hard enough to daze and toy with him but not enough to kill.

Dahmien stood, dragging Thea to her feet and in front of Jacob.

"Finally the piece de resistance," he gloated menacingly. "All you masked freaks will finally be dealt with."

"Not yet, Dark." came Prometheus' modulated voice. "I believe I owe this one."

He strolled up to Jacob, blood starting to crust on his gear, and raised his blade to sit beneath the man's chin.

"Do you remember that night, boy? The night I snuffed out your parents pitiful existence? How easy it was, cutting them down." he sneered, circling Jacob.

"First was your father, remember boy? How foolish he was to answer the door that night. He didn't even have time to cry out as I split his chest." he continued, raking his blade crossed Jacobs chest in the same manor, cutting through cloth and flesh alike.

"Next was your mother, remember boy?" he sneered, slicing small lines into Jacob's arms. "It was almost heroic, she tried to bar the door, the look on her face when I thrust this very blade through it and into her face."

He raised his blade, smacking Jacob across the face with the flat.

"Little did I know she hid her pathetic little boy in the closet. I should have known, but I was arrogant, foolhardy. This time I won't make a mistake."

With that he drew back the blade, aiming it straight towards Jacob's hearts. At the last second he turned, and plunged the sword up to the handle into Theas chest. With a small gasp, her eyes grey wide. Prometheus pulled the blade free with a disturbing laugh and she sank to the floor, light fading from her eyes.

With a sudden burst of wind and bright light, a breach appeared directly behind Jacob. Wave was barely alive.

Prometheus turned, completely caught off guard and looked around to where wave might be laying.

A second burst hit Jacob squarely in the chest, knocking him through the breach just as Eobard sped to Waves side. With an evil laugh he plunged his vibrating hand into Waves chest as Prometheus howled in modulated rage.

Blue waves of energy rolled from Waves eyes and spilled over Eobard, causing a massive explosion.

More to come soon. Always open to contstructive criticism.


	2. Chapter 2

Jacob spilled through the open breach, landing on the floor behind a young looking blonde sitting at a row of computer screens. He tried to sit up and failed as the woman spun around in horror and surprise.

"Oliver! Thea! Get in here!" she screeched, launching up from her chair and backing away.

The pair came running into the center of the room and upon seeing the broken, bleeding mess of a man, hesitated.

"Oliver?" croaked the man. "Hes dead…"

Oliver looked from the man to Felicity in bewilderment. Thea approached him.

"What are you talking about? Who are you?" she asked sternly.

The man, Jacob, lifted his hand to Theas cheek, and passed out.

"Someone want to tell me what the hell is going on?!" Oliver asked outraged.

"I don't know!" Felicity screeched back. "He just came out of one of those whooshy things Cisco makes!"

"Breaches?" Thea offered smiling slightly.

"Yes!" Felicity answered waving her hands spasticity.

"Uh Ollie," Thea butted in. "This guy's pretty badly hurt."

Oliver sprinted over, keeled down and examined the man's chest.

"Felicity, call John now." he commanded sternly. "Thea grab his feet and let's get him on a table."

The two siblings lifted the man up, revealing a clotting stain of blood behind. Felicity cleared off a table nearby and dialed up John Diggle.

"John we need you hear asap," she said quickly. "No time to explain just get here!"

She hung up and stood back as Oliver ripped open the man's tattered shirt to reveal multiple stab wounds and lacerations.

"Holy hell," he whispered in shock, reaching for something to stop the bleeding.

"Ollie his pulse is really weak…" Thea whispered. "Digs not going to make it in time, we need a doctor."

"We can't exactly just take him to a hospital Thea!" he growled back, applying pressure to the worst of the cuts.

"What if we bring the hospital to him…" Felicity thought out loud, dialing another number.

Both Thea and Oliver looked at her confused but she held up a finger and was already jabbering away into the phone. Within a few minutes, another Breach opened. Cisco Ramon and Caitlin Snow stepped out, each carrying a pair of heavy looking duffle bags. The pair set them down and Caitlin ran to examine the man.

"Multiple level 2 lacerations," she murdered, moving the tattered remains of his shirt and gently leaning him forward. "No exit wounds for those gunshots so the bullets are still Inside, he's going to need a transfusion before I can operate. Thea check his wallet for his blood type."

Thea fished through the man's pockets and produced both a compass and an old leather wallet. She sat the compas down and begin looking through the wallet.

"Oh my god…." she whispered aghast, pulling two old photos from the folds. "Ollie look at this."

Thea handed the two battered photos to Oliver and stared at the man.

"It's...us." Oliver whispered confused. "And…"

He couldn't finish the sentence. Staring back at him from the weathered picture was Laurel, himself, and a young boy who slightly resembled the man on the table. The second picture featured the man and Thea, both in wedding attire. Thea snatched back the second picture and flipped it over.

"Newlyweds Jacob R Lance and Thea D Queen-Lance." she choked out. "I can't believe it...I hyphenated!?"

"Cisco can you…." Caitlin interjected nodding at the discarded wallet, hands working into a pair of surgical gloves.

"On it," he replied snatching up the wallet and dumping out its contents. "Credit card, what looks like a security badge….for star labs?!...ah here we go drivers license. Jacob R Lance, height, weight, age, eye color...no blood type Cait."

"Of course not," she sighed attempting to stitch up the lacerations. "Felicity do you have a…."

"Hemomatitron?" she giggled in delight. "Of course!"

"Cisco, take a sample of his blood and run it through." Caitlin commanded stitching up another laceration.

Thinking quick, Cisco grabbed a square of gauze, lightly brushed it against one of the wounds and ran to the machine. With a few clicks of buttons, it whirred to life and began calibrating. After a few minutes, the machine finished with a series of beeps and displayed something on the screen.

"This thing says it's a 87% chance match with O-negative." he said reading off the screen.

"I'm O-negative…" Oliver responded turning around.

"Top shelf, second cooler on the left," Felicity told Caitlin pointing to it.

Caitlin rushed over, grabbed a bag from inside the cooler and handed it to Cisco as he finished erecting a hanging device. With skill, she found a vein and hooked the tubes together.

"Alright let's get those pesky things out." Caitlin mumbled picking up a scalpel and a retrieval device of her own making. "Cisco, he's going to need an I.V as well."

"You're the doc, doc" he chuckled setting up another stand and retrieving an I.V bag from the cooler.

Caitlin peered over the man's chest, making deft movements with her tools. After a few minutes of silence, she produced the two bullets and stitched up the entry holes.

"Can you do your thing and figure out where this guys from?" Olliver asked Cisco.

"It's best to let him recover first, I don't know what Cisco's powers might do to him in this state," Caitlin advised stepping in from of the two. "I'd like to get him hooked up to an EKG as well."

"I got it," Cisco muttered, fishing through one of the bags.

"Ollie...he's got pictures of us both...and of Laurel…" Thea trailed off, looking confused.

"I don't know speedy," he replied hugging her in reassurance.

"Who the hell are you dude…" Cisco asked leaning over the man's head and hooking the electrodes to his chest.


	3. Chapter 3

**Jacob woke up in a hospital style bed with the steady beep of a heart monitor beside him.**

"Don't try to move too much," came Caitlins soothing voice. "You'll rip those stitches. You're lucky to be alive as it is."

He groaned again, barely moving his neck to look at his chest. Pink squares of gauze decorated it with small strips of tape. He turned to her and smiled.

"I think lucky is a stretch, you always were the best doctor we knew."

"What do you mean?" she asked, standing up and walking over to the bedside. "i've never met you before."

He laughed slightly and groaned at the strain it put on his chest.

"You look just like I remember. You used to patch me up a lot when I was a kid." he looked her over. "I know how Cisco's powers work but I never thought he could manipulate time as well."

"You know him as well?" she asked growing even more confused.

He smiled sadly and looked away.

"I must be on a different earth…" he muttered looking down at his hands. "My wedding ring...where is it?"

"You have us all a bit confused. Thea saw her initials engraved in it when we took it off," she whispered, pointing to where Thea slept in a chair. "I had to put you into a medically induced coma, you've been asleep for about a week and she hasn't left since."

Jacob shifted slightly in the bed to look at her. Thea sat curled up in a chair a few feet away, exhaustion showed on her face. Her hair spilled down around her head and a few strands rested over her eye. Jacob made a move to stand up from the bed but Caitlin stopped him.

"You really should rest for a while," she insisted.

"Chill out," he groaned as he laid back, cocking a sly smile at her.

Her cheeks flushed and she laughed silently.

"I take it you know about my other side as well?" she asked. "What about you? I didn't see any traces of dark matter when I analyzed your blood."

"Nope," he laughed darkly, wincing. "Nothing here except old fashioned human."

The elevator dinged and Oliver stepped out with Cisco.

"Good to see you alive," Oliver said gruffly.

"You too, da…Oliver." Jacob replied hesitantly. Oliver stared at him.

"He's stable and healing, but he needs to rest yet," Caitlin admitted standing up and heading for the door. "I need a few hours sleep myself."

"With you here, was there ever any doubt?" Jacob replied, grinning and waving as she got into the elevator. Caitlin smiled back and gave a tired wave, the doors shutting infront of her.

"I need you to answer some questions," Oliver growled, folding his arms over his chest. "But first, Cisco.."

"I'm on it," Cisco quipped, stepping forward and reaching for Jacob's arm. Jacob held the arm up welcomingly, surprising both Oliver and Cisco.

"By all means, I have nothing to hide."

Cisco lightly touched the man's arm and concentrated, activating his power. He stood there for a few minutes before a look of puzzlement reached his face.

"What the hell…" he asked aloud, breaking his concentration and gently letting go of Jacobs arm.

"Whats wrong?" Jacob and Oliver asked at the same time.

"Nothing…." Cisco muttured staring at them both. "There was nothing there, like a complete blank. Nada."

Pain spread to Jacobs face and the heart monitor sped up.

"What do you mean nothing's there?" Oliver asked grumpily. "I thought you could Vibe anyone?"

"Not if there's nothing there to see…." Cisco replied grimly, looking apologetically at Jacob.

Jacobs face showed the obvious pain from Cisco's words.

"What does that mean?" Oliver growled. "What the hell happened?"

"They're gone….I thought someone might…" the man muttered, voice cracking in his throat. "I need a minute here guys.."

Jacob closed his eyes and sank into the bed in pain, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

Oliver pulled Cisco to the side.

"Did you get anything from his vibe?" Oliver asked gruffly. "Why does he have a picture of me and Thea, not to mention Laurel?"

"Dude I don't know," Cisco replied just as confused. "I've got no freakin clue at this point. Why don't you just ask him? Better yet why don't i?"

The both turned to the man to see him wiping his eyes and wincing at the movement.

"Yea, I got this." Cisco said stopping Oliver with a hand to his chest.

"Look dude, I know you're in a lot of pain and that's partially my fault," Cisco pressed to Jacob. "Level with me, what's your story?"

Jacob smiled and laughed a painful laugh.

"Same mannerism as the Cisco I know," he chuckled grimly. "It was my wedding day…"

"From the beginning would be best," Olliver growled from behind Cisco.

"I got this man," he replied.

"Ok fine," Jacob sighed. "I'm from Earth- 111."

"But there's only 35 known earths," Cisco interjected.

"Look ask a Harrison Wells, he tried to explain to me why it was named that but I didn't pay that much attention," Jacob grumbled, shifting in pain.

"Jacob Lance isn't exactly my birth name. After my parents were murdered by Prometheus Laurel thought it would be best to change it."

"Wait a minute," Oliver growled interrupting him. "How does Laurel fit into this?"

"You wanted from the beginning," Jacob grumbled. "Just hold on."

"My parents were murdered when I was very young. I was forced to hide in a closet, that's the only way I survived. Don't ask me anymore details about it. Thanks to a few years of therapy I've successfully blocked it out." he spoke sternly.

"Now from what the police knew, I was in that closet for days. A young detective by the name of Laurel Lance was the one who found me while investigating the murder. Thanks to a brilliant social services program at the time, I was going to be placed in a shitty foster home. Laurel told me years later that she refused to let them take me with the state I was in, so she took me home herself. I don't remember much of the early days, except that there were times I would be left with a friend of hers that was a retired detective. His name was Joe West."

"Joe West…" Cisco stared in disbelief. "Big surely guy, Barry's father?"

Jacob just glared at Cisco and continued on.

"Joe was a good friend of Laurels, and after he retired from the force he became a lounge singer. The man had raised a daughter and adopted a son, whom both grew up and was now taking care of his grandson. His wife Cecile loved having Wally around and welcomed me as well. Wally and i ended up growing up like brothers. Thanks to my trauma, I would wake up in the middle of the night screaming. Joe and Cecile would come into the room and Joe would sing to me this melody he knew from the lounge as Cecile held me. He eventually taught it to Laurel, she would sing it to me every night…" he choked up a little at the end. With a cough and lightly rubbing his chest, he composed himself.

"She even gave me a nickname of sorts because of it. My little blackbird, she called me."

"Blackbird?" Oliver asked stunned. "like from that old gangster movie?"

"The lady had a thing for birds," Cisco chuckled.

Jacob shrugged.

"I didn't know she was the Black Canary for a few years." he admitted. "it didn't click in my mind. I figured she was just a busy detective, the city was pretty bad those days. Sometimes she would disappear at night and in the morning I would wake up to a new face and a note from her. I was young and didn't understand, but the people who would watch over me helped me through it. When Joe and Cecile were busy, their son Barry would be there. Barry was a forensic consultant for the police and worked out of a research facility called Star Labs. I always enjoyed those mornings I would wake up and Uncle Barry would be there. Hed fix me these huge breakfasts and end up eating everything I couldn't. I always thought it was weird that a skinny man could each so much food. He used to joke and say it was his high metabolism. After we ate and cleaned up Laurels apartment, he'd take me on the monorail that ran through central city and directly beside Star Labs. I remember the first time I saw it, it shone out from all the rest of the buildings like a giant diamond. We would meet his wife, Iris outside and they would show me all around the building. I had never seen such technology and science before. It left my head spinning in circles. He would show me his lab and introduced me to all of his co-workers, the great inventor Cisco Ramon (Cisco puffed out his chest and beamed with pride), the beautiful and kind Doctor Caitlin Snow, the wise Professor Martin Stein and then he would take me into the depths of the building where I met the man who built and imagined it all. The man who Barry had so much respect for, Doctor Harrison Wells."

He stopped, took a breath and fidgeted with the bandages on his chest.

"Do you need me to get Caitlin?" Cisco asked standing up.

Jacob shook his head and winced, taking a deep breath and starting again.

"It just itches," he grumbled. "Harrison Wells was a widower you see, his wife had died in childbirth. He kept a picture of her on his desk and sometimes I would catch him looking at it longingly. His daughter was always with him, constantly at the lab. She was a fiery girl, a few years younger than me but oh so much more brilliant. Her name was Jessi and with the way she would solve problems before either Wally or I, we ended up calling her Quick. Harrison overheard us one day and i don't think I ever saw him smile more, he took our moniker and would always use it. His little Jessi quick. The three of us were always together when I was under Barry's care. She became my sister. Wally would chase her all around the lab and at the school they both went to, Harrison even made a quip at one point that they would get married. The look on both of their faces when he said that always made me break out in a laughing fit."

Cisco pulled out his cell phone and started tapping the keys rapidly.

"What are you doing?" Oliver asked him as he typed away.

"You think I'm gonna let Wally live this down?" he replied back laughing.

Oliver rolled his eyes and motioned for Jacob to continue.

"Whenever they could get us to sit still, they all tried teaching us things. Professor Stein would go on and on at length about nuclear fission and it would put both me and Wally to sleep as Jessi sat there nodding along. Cisco, tried to teach all three of us about building mechanics and circuitry but Wally and Jessi had no interest; I'd always be right there beside him, soldering iron in hand. Now in the chance that one of us got hurt, scrapped a knee or anything like it, which happened a lot, Caitlin would sit us down in the med bay, patch us up and tried to teach us basic medical skills. She had this way about teaching and was so kind to us. Probably didn't help that after she was done, she would always give us a sugary sweet and send us on our way."

"That sounds like our Caitlin as well," Cisco said through a smile.

"She was one of the greatest things I missed when I grew up," Jacob said sadly. "But back to the beginnings. A few years passed and Laurel said she had good news, she was going to adopt me and we were going to be a real family. I remember it being the best thing I had heard at the time, the way she hugged me and even the name we picked out. Jacob Robert Lance."

"My father's name was Robert," Oliver muttered.

"I'm getting to that part." Jacob grinned. "After the adoption papers and legalities went through, she said It was time I truly became her son, I had to meet her parents, her boyfriend and his parents. I was ecstatic. My family keep growing. I remember that same day I went with her to the precinct she worked at, all her co-workers welcomed me, there was a cake and decorations and I met her Captain and her father for the first time. Captain Quentin Lance. A surely wise man with a grip that could crush your fingers. I would spend weeks with Quintin and he would teach me all about being a detective, how to follow clues, how to recognize patterns and most importantly, the need for justice to be served."

"A few days later she introduced me to her boyfriend, and from the way she talked about him, the man she would marry. He was a rough guy, had apparently spent some time in places out of most people's nightmares yet survived. The man had a good heart, even if he was stubborn as all hell and wouldn't listen at times. I ended up growing to respect him greatly, and even grew to call him my Dad. His name was Oliver Queen."

Oliver stood there frozen in shock, unable to speak, staring at Jacob. Jacob ignored his hesitance and continued on.

"Oliver and Laurel had been together for years, growing up around each and were thinking about finally getting married. I remember the first day i met him quite clearly; mainly because that was the first day i met the love of my life. Thea Queen happened to be a few years younger than myself, and was always running around with her brother. It wasn't long before she shared her childhood nickname with me; Speedy she was aptly named. I spent many a year chasing after her, both literally and figuratively. In the end, I finally caught up to her and she agreed to marry me. She had been in love with me since she first met me as well."

Jacob paused, looking longfully at the ring Thea was holding before sighing and continuing on.

"I met both of their parents that same day. Moira and Robert Queen were, at least on the outside, wonderful parents; soon they became pseudo grandparents to me. Grandma Moira used to always have the best cookies hidden away for Thea and myself. Grandpa Robert would take us on all sorts of exotic trips, flying in his small plane, out on the Queen family yacht, you name it. Unfortunately Grandpa Robert died in his 60s from stress and alcoholism. Grandma Moiras end was a bit more gruesome and not something I would like to reiterate. Despite his problems, i respected Robert Queen and it was in his honor that i used it as my middle name."

"Now It wasnt till my teenage years that things finally began to make sense, mainly due to the fact that Wally started developing the powers of a speedster. Everyone started coming clean to the children then. Barry admitted to being the Flash, taking Wally under his wing so to speak and training him to use his powers for justice. Cisco revealed his ability to manipulate frequencies and vibrational energy. Oliver came out as the Green Arrow, both publicly and to our family. Laurel revealed she was the second Black Canary and all her disappearances made sense; my mother was a true hero. On and on it went, finding out more and more of my family were heroes or vigilantes in secret. Most people would have been terrified, i was happy; i felt honored to be brought into such a family."

"Now it wasn't all good times. An explosion leveled Star Labs when i was 16. Wally and Jessi were both inside. Unfortunately Wally was vaporized leaving Jessi the only survivor and developing speedster abilities herself. We lost a lot of our family that year." He lamented, looking down at his hands in shame. "Ted Kord, Hellena Bertenelli, Jason Todd, Barbara Gordon, Tula, Harrison Wells, Roy Harper. Each brother and sister lost was devastating. Oliver went to a very dark place, killing the Ra's Al Ghul of the time, burying a few other low level drug dealers. There for awhile i didn't think we would be able to pull him back from becoming a serial killer. Thankfully it was Laurel who brought him back. With him came a new rule that he set for the whole Hero family. No more young proteges or young sidekicks. After a few dark years, they managed to achieve an age of peace. Or at least, that's how it seemed."

"The day of our wedding, that peace came to an end. I'm not sure how they managed it, but literally all the worst criminals that my family managed to put away, broke free. Prometheus, Dahmien Dark, Eobard Thawn, Riddler, Trickster and The Toymaker crashed my wedding and well," he gestured at his chest and face, "You can see the outcome."

"That's a lot of information to digest," Oliver admitted.

"How do you two have the same blood type?" Cisco asked.

"Out of all of that," Oliver butted in. " **That's** what you ask?"

"Fate? Kismet? Sheer dumb luck?" Jacob joked, shrugging his shoulders as best he could in the bed. "Caitlin could probably answer that one better."

"We'll give you time to rest," Oliver muttered, the confused look still across his face. "Come on Cisco."

Cisco smiled, gave a small wave and followed Oliver into the elevator and back up to the main floor of the lair.

"What do you make of this?" Oliver asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"He seems like he's telling the truth, of at least believes it himself." Cisco admitted, frowning slightly. "I'm a little thrown with not being able to vibe him."

"Do you think he's a threat?"

"The dudes been cut to ribbons. He's not going to get very far if he was a threat."

"I wonder if we should restrain him at all…" Oliver muttered to himself as they stepped out of the elevator and almost collided with Felicity.

"Oh!" she squeaked, nearly dropping the coffee cup in her hand. "How's our mystery man?"

"Alive, full of mystery," quipped Cisco cracking a grin.

"Caitlin patched him up. There's a lot of questions still." Oliver agreed.

"Well i was just on my way down to talk to him myself," she said stepping back and letting the two through.

"Let him rest," Oliver grunted, steering her back towards her computer chair. "Pull up the camera in the infirmary, i want constant surveillance on him."

"Scared he's going to go somewhere?" Felicity asked, tapping away at the keyboard till the camera feed popped up on the monitor to her left.

"Already had too many surprises, don't need another one," Oliver grunted.


	4. Chapter 4

Jacob shifted in the bed, pulling on the fresh stitches and finding out more places that were sore. He peered around the room, noticing the camera in the upper corner. _Can't really blame them_ , he thought. He tried to move his arm, tugging the IV tube and restricting his movement. The heart monitor behind the IV stand beeped steadily. He looked to his left and saw Thea still sleeping in the chair. Everything about her appearance was exactly the same as his Thea, down to the mole below her right eye.

"You're staring," she breathed, not even opening her eyes.

"Sorry," he whispered turning away. "How long have you been listening?"

"From the start," she admitted opening her eyes and brushing the hair out of her face. "I know other realities have versions of all of us and all but this is just….."

"Unnerving?" he finished, raising his eyebrow and wincing as it pulled at the stitches on his forehead.

"Yea kind of," she agreed, standing up and stretching.

"Imagine how i feel," he muttered. "One minute i'm watching the slaughter of my family, the next i'm looking up at my fathers and wifes dopplegangers."

"I'm sorry, i didn't think…"

"It's fine," he shrugged, smiling at her. "I have a question for you though."

"Ask away," she replied, smiling.

"My ring," he asked pointing at it in her hand. "Why did you hold onto it?"

"I…" she started and stopped, almost realising she still held it. "I don't know….i guess out of shock."

"Do you have the pictures from my wallet as well?" he asked gently.

She smiled and picked both pictures up off a small end table near the chair she was sleeping in.

"I thought i would keep them together and safe…" she admitted, looking down at the pictures and the ring before offering them both.

Jacob took the pictures, but folded her fingers back around the ring.

"Keep it safe for me a little while longer," he mused before holding up a bandaged left hand. "Don't think it would fit right now anyway."

Thea paused for a moment, then giggled in agreement.

"Your probably right," she admitted, slipping it onto one of her necklace chains; the ring slid down her chest and she tucked it into her shirt. She nodded to the picture of her doppleganger. "Tell me about her sometime?"

"Sometime," he agreed before leaning back and closing his eyes. Thea smiled, picked up her bag and stepped into the elevator

"Sweet dreams, blackbird…." she whispered as the doors shut.

Bloody images flashed in Jacobs mind as he slept. Pain wracked his whole body as he tossed and turned in the bed. The heart monitor was going wild, beeps filled the room with erratic patterns. He woke with a start, sweat drenching his body. Shaking his head, he looked around in confusion. With a sigh, he pulled the IV needle from his hand, popped all the leads to the heart monitor free from his chest and tried to stand up, a borrowed pair of grey sweatpants shaking around his legs. With a little wobbling and a hesitant step, he managed to shakily make his way towards the elevator; the overhead lights flickering on as he moved. He hit a button marked 1F and the doors slid shut with a breeze. The elevator hummed along.

As the doors slid open, the ceiling and floor lights in the center room flickered on. Covers slid back from the center of the rack where a row of suits stood. Off to the right stood a single glass case, the lights flickering on as he slowly approached. A combination of leather, Kevlar and buckles adorned the suit, with a glowing necklace draped around the collar. A small plack about midway down the front pane of glass

In loving memory, it read, of Laurel Lance, The Black Canary.

 _No way,_ he thought, _it looks completely different, but it kinda suits her._

He opened the case, lightly touching the leather. It was warm to the touch. He lifted the jacket off of the mannequin it sat on and held it to his face, breathing deep. The smell of her perfume was the exactly the same, mixing well with the leather and bringing back happier memories. With a shake of his head, he sat it back and closed the case, turning away.

In the next case over, a mechanical compound bow hung, with some standard broadhead arrows and even a few arrows that looked extremely complex. _Something's never change,_ he thought, looking at the bow with a grin. He grabbed few of the standard arrows and the bow, looking over to the empty corner by what looked like a conference table. Off to each of the sides sat a medium cylinder looking bucket that was tilted at an angle towards the far wall. He sat the bow and arrows down on the table. Kneeling down beside the machine gingerly, he felt around for a switch and examined the opening in the front. He grinned, flipping the switch and waited. A tennis ball shot out, flew through the air and rebounded off the floor. _Just like I remember,_ he thought standing up and picking up the bow. He laid moved the arrows to the opposite side of the table, closest to the machine. With sluggish movement, he knocked an arrow into the string. He closed his eyes, Oliver's voice echoing in his head.

 _Keep your left arm up straight_ , came the voice as he raised the bow. _Remember, inhale when you pull back,_ He pulled back the string till the mechanism held it and waited. The machine spat out a tennis ball, bouncing off the floor and up into the air. _Wait for that moment right between your heartbeat, release and exhale_. The string vibrated as it rocketed the arrow forward, spearing the tennis ball out of midair and nailing it into the wall. _That's my boy..._ the voice congratulated, before fading away. He smiled as the machine spat out another ball, picking up another arrow and spearing the ball to the wall. Another ball flew into the air, only end up with its mates on the wall.

"I've only ever seen Oliver do that..." came Felicity's voice as the last arrow embedded itself in the wall. Jacob spun around to face her, wincing at the sudden movement in his torso. She stood on the raised platform in front of the computer monitors, paper coffee cup in one hand, other hand holding onto a pastry.

"Who taught you how to shoot like that?" she asked setting down her coffee cup and walking down to him. "With Oliver's bow too? That's impressive."

"My father," he answered smiling sadly, and handing her the bow.

She took the bow, walked back over to the case and placed it back on its hanger.

"I was going to come down earlier and talk to you myself," she jabbered away, turning back around to face him. "Oliver said you needed some rest. How are you feeling?"

"Like I've just been pushed through an interdimensional portal after being used as a pincushion…." he grumbled sarcastically.

"Of course, sorry" she stammered, gazing at his abdomen. "You look good though...I mean you look solid….I mean Caitlin patched you up pretty well...well except for that."

She pointed at a small line of blood trickling down from none of the patches on his side.

"Crap," Jacob groaned looking down at it

"No it's ok," she sputtered. "I can fix it...well not really fix, more like cover it...not that it needs covered...I'm going to shut up now."

She walked over to one of the cabinets by the coolers, fished around for a moment and retrieved a roll of gauze and some surgical tape. He followed her over and sat down on a stool beside her, chuckling quietly.

"It looks like it needs changed anyway…" she mentioned, pulling back the darkened bandage and causing a little more blood to drip down. Jacob winced and groaned as the bandage pulled free.

"I'm sorry. Are you alright?" she babbled.

"I'm fine" he groaned, taking the gauze and laying it against the wound. She pulled a few lengths from the tape and lightly stuck them to his skin, holding it in place. Her hands bushed down his abdomen slightly before she jerked back, reached inside a cabinet and handed him a folded grey hoodie.

"You look cold," she offered, standing up and walking back to the computers.

Jacob chuckled to himself, maneuvered his arms gingerly though the sleeves and zipped the front.

"Oliver told me you knew all of us in your world," she said, fingers tapping away at the keyboard. "Where was i? Who was i? Was I married? Was I a hero too?"

Jacob laughed and sat down beside her.

"You were around, but not for as long as Ollie or Cisco. I didn't know you as well as the rest either, but you were an important part of the family."

"The Family?" she laughed. "Is that what you guys called yourselves? Were you guys like the mob?"

"No no," he chuckled. "They had a name for themselves, but to me and the rest of the young generation, it was just a family."

"Weird. But go on."

"Yes you were married, to a brilliant inventor and physicist named Ray Palmer. As for being a hero, you didn't wear a mask or did much field work but you were pretty heroic the times I saw you in action. Aren't you married here as well?" he asked pointing to the ring on her finger.

She stopped typing away.

"I married Ray?" she asked in disbelief. "Was he still the Atom? Did I hyphenate as well?"

"Yes, yes and no I think you took his last name," he answered, laughing. "Take it easy with the questions, geez."

"Sorry," she apologized, typing away again. "It's not every day you meet someone from another earth...I mean we've met a few people, had to kick a few evil doppelganger asses. But never usually anyone good…"

"Well I have a few questions for you," he admitted, leaning back in his chair. "Who'd you marry here?"

"Engaged," she said holding up her hand so he could look at the ring. "Sort of a long engagement that's been on and off, sometimes me, sometimes him."

He raised his eyebrows waiting for a name.

"Oh right," she backtracked. "Who. Oliver."

He stared at her in disbelief for a minute. _Because laurels gone here._

"I see," he replied. "Well where's Ray?"

"Off galavanting in time on The Waverider," she scoffed. "Wish I could go bouncing around in time."

"The Waverider?" he asked perking up a bit. "Is Sara..?"

"Alive and well," she assured. "She's the Captain. Last we heard the Legends got an updated roster. Stein, Jax, Nate, Rory, Ray, Amaya and of course Sara."

"It's good to hear something's don't change." he sighed in content. "One last question: How did she die?"

She frowned in confusion, looking at him. He nodded to Laurels glass case.

"Oh...Laurel," she choked. "Dahmien Dark...he got the upper hand on the team in Iron Heights…"

"Did Oliver…"

"Kill him?" she asked looking away. "Yea, he did. By only as a last resort."

He stood up and turned away, a tear rolling down his cheek and landing on the hoodie he was wearing. _It would have been nice..._ he thought before shaking it away.

"I'm sorry," Felicity called to him. "Oliver said you were close to Laurel on your earth?"

"She was my mother…" he replied weakly.

She spun around in her chair and stared at him wide eyed.

"Shut the front door….and your Oliver was your father? That explains so much…especially the attra…." she muttered to herself. "Is that why you have the same blood type?"

"Coincidence," he replied. "Laurel adopted me before her and Oliver married. It's a long story."

"Huh. I don't believe in coincidences." she scoffed, returning to her constant clack of keys. "Her dad is still alive here, not just Sara."

"Quentin?" he asked, returning to his seat.

"Yep," she replied bring a picture of him up, along with his police jacket and flicking it to the monitor in front of him. "Used to be the ranking lieutenant, Oliver ended up hiring him as the deputy mayor after he was forced out from the whole Dahmien darhk\hive thing."

"It says here he has a heart condition…" He read out loud, peering through his municipal service record.

"Yea," she admitted. "Though you wouldn't know it from being around him. He actually used to be a field agent for the team, now he's mostly intelligence and information. He's pretty lively otherwise, long as he stays sober."

"So he has an alcohol problem," Jacob groaned. "Do you think…?"

"He'd want to meet his grandson?" she asked grinning at him. "Or rather pseudo grandson, or adopted grandson? I don't know, all this metaphysical stuff isn't really easy on him. You should have seen the look on his face when he found out Barry was a speedster. Almost as bad as Johns reaction whenever Barry has to speed him around or out of danger. Not to mention how he handled Sara coming back from the dead not once, but twice."

"Probably best till all of this," he replied, waving at his chest and face. "Is all healed up."

"Well if you're anything like Oliver or the Laurel we knew, that wont take long." She laughed. "Sara would probably be the better first choice, that way she can try to smooth things over."

"I would like to see her," he agreed.

"Youd definitely be a welcome addition in her family," she noted. "Sara hasnt really been the same since Laurel died either."

"The suits," he said changing the subject. "There's a few i can guess whos they are, but whos is the third one to the right?"

"Thea's," she replied looking over fondly. "She hasn't put it on in a while though."

"Thea became a vigilante here?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yep. Went by the callsign 'Speedy' there for a while." Felicity laughed. "It used to annoy her. That was right around the time Oliver and I took a break from all this."

The elevator dinged, startling Felicity. Caitlin walked in, bright eyed and waved happily till she saw Jacob sitting beside Felicity.

"I thought i told you to get some rest," she grumbled at him sternly.

"I got restless," he shrugged, looking around.

"Well back to bed," she said tugging him back towards the secondary elevator. "Doctors orders."

Felicity grabbed his hand on the way by, giving it a gentle squeeze and smiled at him.

"I'll see what i can do," She assured him.

He smiled and waved back, letting Caitlin tug him to the elevator and escort him back down to the infirmary.

The elevator dinged again, this time Oliver walked out dressed in a business suit and tie.

"Hows our guest?" He asked stepping up to the raised platform and giving Felicity a kiss on the cheek.

"He's full of surprises," she replied smiling and waving a hand over to the wall where the arrows still stuck into the wall.

"Did he…?" He asked surprised.

"Yup, with your bow," she laughed. "He reminds me a lot of you."

"Do you believe all this?" he asked, sitting down in the chair beside her.

"Sort of yea," she replied, laying her head on his shoulder. "It's by far not the worst thing we've had to deal with. I feel like we can trust him."

"I trusted Evelyn Sharp and look how that turned out…" he grumbled back at her.

"Hey!" she jabbed him in the chest with her finger. "Completely different situation. Evelyn was a criminal already. This guy hasn't done anything suspicious."

"Yet," he corrected. "He hasn't done anything yet."

"I think your just jealous your not the only one around here with fancy shooting skills," she teased kissing his cheek and turning back to the computers.

He stood up, walked over to the wall and examined the arrows. With a grunt, he pulled one free and smiled. _It wouldn't hurt to have the extra backup…_

 _(A lot of setting up in the last few chapters. Theres going to be a bit of a sensitive scene coming up, definitely earning the M Rating, so be prepared.)_


	5. Chapter 5

_(This chapter contains suggestive themes and sexual content, thus earning the M Rating. Readers be warned)_

Cut to the infirmary.

"Well your bullet wounds are healing nicely," Caitlin muttured inspecting Jacobs chest. "But you pulled a few stitches on these lacerations."

Jacob groaned, twitching away from her prodding.

"Easy doc, they're still a little tender," he grunted, shifting away from her slightly.

"Hold still," she argued, threading a surgical needle as he groaned and laid back.

With a few quick movements and a sharp tug on the thread, accompanied by a sharp intake of breath from Jacob, she pulled the skin together and finished.

"Don't go pulling these ones or you're going to be redoing them yourself," she threatened waving the forceps and then smiling at him.

"Leaving me already eh?" he asked, laying a strip of gauze over the fresh stitches.

"I have to get back to central city," She replied, taping the gauze down and looking up into his eyes; she paused, smiling sweetly.

Without warning, he kissed her passionately. She broke the kiss, stepping back and gasping. The look on her face was somewhere between arousal and shock. He reached for her hand, only for her to instinctively take a step backward, tripping over her feet. Her right hand flew backwards and smacked on top of the suture tray where the needle sat, stabbing into her flesh. The tray flew across the room and clattered to the floor as she hit the ground with a grunt. Instantly her hair started to melt from its usual chestnut brown to snow white.

Killer Frost stood up and ripped the needle from her hand, her skin repairing itself in a wisp of steam. Anger shown on her now deathly pale face.

"You kissed me," she growled. "Did i say you could kiss me?"

"Nope," he replied grinning.

She stepped up beside the bed and grabbed him by the throat, bringing his face directly in front of hers.

"Do it again," she commanded.

He obeyed, kissing her deeply, enjoying the cool tingle of her lips. She moaned softly into his mouth, letting go of his throat and running her fingers through his hair. He pulled her closer as she shrugged off her lab coat and straddled his lap. With his hands, he slipped underneath her shirt, tracing the skin on her sides. The cold radiated off her firm yet delightfully soft skin. She broke the kiss, placing a cold finger devilishly on his lips. In one quick motion, she ripped off her shirt and threw it down to the floor, her snow white hair drifting back down to her shoulders. Without so much as a word, she attacked his lips, moaning as she went. His hands went back to her skin, starting at her sides and making their way up to her chest. With deft precision, his right hand unsnapped her bra and used his left to lift it from her chest. Her supple breasts lay bare as he gently caressed the skin underneath them before cupping them both. With a slight squeeze, he was gifted the most wonderful sounds from her lips; she shuddered and moaned deeply into his kiss. In return, she ran her hands down both sides of his back, causing him to wince when her finger nails raked too close to the exit wounds.

"Poor birdy," she sighed, breaking the kiss.

She pushed him back down against the bed and leaned down. Starting at the top of his shoulders, she kissed her way down his chest, getting ever so close to each wound. He winced, then moaned as she breathed her icy breath over them. She giggled evilly and continued trailing icy kisses down his stomach and started to pull down the waistline of his sweatpants.

"Wait," he groaned, grabbing her hands. "What about Caitlin…"

"Relax," she breathed, smiling mischievously. "She wants this just as bad, even if she is too chicken to say it."

With one last kiss right above his waistline, she pulled on the top of his sweatpants.

"Something wrong doc?" he asked hesitantly.

She shook her head and blinked a few times. _Get a hold of yourself Snow_ , she thought, _he's a total stranger!_

"Your right eye looks a little dilated," she lied, pulling out an ophthalmoscope and shining the light from it into his eye. "Are you experiencing any blurred vision or any ocular haze?"

"Uh, no more than usual?" he stated blinking away the water in his eye.

"I'd like to get your eyes checked, i don't think you would have any retinal scarring from the breach." she admitted.

"I'm sure Felicity's got some sort of machine around here that'll do it," he muttered.

"Sadly i won't be here to help," she said with a shrug. "Barry needs Cisco and i back in star city."

"Well i hope i'll see you soon," he smiled at her, touching her hand.

"A good doctor always does a follow up exam," she replied smiling and giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Take it easy for a few days."

"You got it doc," he sighed, sinking back into the bed.

She headed for the elevator, hitting the button and stepping in.

"Don't pull those stitches!" she called threateningly as the doors closed.

He closed his eyes and gave into exhaustion.

Oliver stepped out of the elevator and walked up behind Felicity as she sat at her computers, typing away.

"Anything new on our friend?" He asked kissing her on the top of her head and giving her shoulder a squeeze.

"I think Caitlin sedated him," she replied taking is hand into hers and leaning back against him. "Hes sleeping right now. Caitlin and Cisco headed back just a few minutes ago, something about Barry needing them in Central City as soon as possible."

"Did you find out anything on those names i gave you?"

"Did i find anything?" she laughed sarcastically. "If a person exists, i can find almost everything about them."

With a few quick keystrokes, 7 peoples faces showed up on screen.

"There's only 7 files here," Oliver pointed out, glancing at the screen.

"That's because the 8th doesn't exist," she grumbled. "What kind of name is Tula, anyway?"

Oliver just shrugged.

"Well the first 3 we know," she said pointing to the first three profiles. "Roys in hiding, Helena is in jail, and Harrison wells from our earth is reported dead. I double checked with Barry and as far as he knows Wally is out traveling. Now Ted Kord you should know."

"Head of Kord industries," he muttered.

"Bingo, i don't see him becoming a vigilante anytime soon. Although with how much we've broken into his facilities that could change. But these last two, "she said pointing to the picture of a young man and a redheaded teen girl. "There's nothing that sticks out. Both are from Gotham, both regular kids aside from her winning a computer club recognition four years in a row."

"You sound a little jealous," he laughed.

"Me? As if…" she shot back. "With what i've got down here to handle, who needs awards."

"Are they worth recruiting," he interrupted.

"Ted Kord would be a valuable asset," she admitted. "It'd be a lot easier to get our hands on some of his technology if we didn't have to break into his labs. Since your the mayor, maybe you could work some kind of deal out with him and not have to reveal your vigilante side to him?"

He nodded and muttered agreement.

"As for the Gotham kids. I wouldn't know for sure, I hear Gotham's a really rough city. Let me do some more digging and see what i can find out." She chattered away, typing.

"Wheres Thea?" he asked, not seeing her on the infirmary camera.

"Out," Felicity shrugged. "She said she needed some air and would be back in the morning."

"Felicity it's almost noon," he laughed.

She stopped typing and looked down at the clock in the corner of her screen.

"Well crap," she sighed, stomach grumbling. "Here i thought i was just being a fatass for being hungry again…"

"I'll bring you back something in a bit," he said kissing her forehead and heading for the elevator.

"Give Thea a call, i hope she didn't get too spooked from all of this and run off."

"I will," she replied picking up her phone and dialing a number. "Big Belly burger!"

He smiled and waved as the doors shut in front of him. After a few minutes, the doors opened again and Thea stepped out, a small knapsack in her hands.

"Hey i just tried to call you," Felicity called, not looking up from her computer.

"Oh, i turned my phone off," she mentioned sheepishly. "With everything going on i needed some time to myself, even took off from the office."

"What's in the bag?" Felicity asked, nodding.

"Some of Ollies old clothes. He only wears two suits these days anyway," she replied looking at his Green Arrow costume. "Figured Jacob would be getting tired of the infirmary and needed a change of clothes."

"Someone's got a whole lot of interest in our new mystery man," Felicity teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

She hung the bag over the railing around the platform and sat down beside Felicity and sighed.

"There's just something about him," she said, shaking her head and fidgeting with the ring around her necklace. "Plus those pictures and this ring…"

"You kept his wedding ring?" Felicity asked nodding to it in her hands.

"He asked me to keep a hold of it," she answered, dropping it and letting it dangle on her chest. "When i look into his eyes...i just…."

Felicity giggled and stopped typing.

"Your brother has that effect on me as well," she offered. "Maybe you're…"

"Nuh uh," Thea interrupted. "I thought we had an agreement, after Roy, we don't use the L word anymore."

"Im just saying…" Felicity started, smiling.

"Im going to take these down to him," Thea replied cutting her off, grabbing the bag and heading for the elevator.

"You might be!" Felicity called as the doors shut.

 _There's no way_ , Thea thought as the elevator groaned into a descent.

With a quiet ding and a lazy groan, the elevator stopped and Thea stepped into the infirmary. Aside from the metronomical beeping of the heart monitor, there was no sound in the room. Jacob lay back on the bed, asleep as far as Thea could tell. She silently sat the bag down on the end of the bed and made her way over to the chair which she had spent many of the last few nights asleep in. With a sigh she sat down, playing with the ring around her necklace aimlessly. _Maybe Felicity's right_ , she thought staring at him. _Maybe i am….don't say it Thea. He's just a very interesting mystery to unravel._ She dropped the ring, letting it settling around her cleavage and shook her head.

"You're staring," he whispered sleepily, startling her slightly.

"Oh, sorry," she apologized, looking away sheepishly.

"It's fine," he laughed, stretching and wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"I brought you some clothes," she said, pointing to the bag. "Figured you might want to get out of this infirmary, there's even a pair of shoes in there, not sure if they'll fit."

"That sounds like a damn good idea," he laughed, standing up and reaching for the bag. He dumped the contents on the bed, picking up a faded pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt.

"I'll give you a little privacy," Thea muttered, standing up and heading to the elevator. "Unless you need a hand?"

"Nah i think i can manage."

She nodded, stepped into the elevator and shut the door.

He stepped out of the sweatpants he had on carefully, hanging them over the bed and pulling on the jeans. They were a little loose but after digging through the bags pockets, he found a belt that would fit. With a groan, he unzipped the hoodie and shrugged it off, taking care not to move too fast and pull on the fresh stitches. He carefully pulled on the shirt, finding out it fit quite well, accenting the lines of his torso. He tried on the shoes, finding them to be about a half size too big but fit enough to wear. He grabbed the hoodie off the bed and walked over to the elevator, opening it with a push of a button.

Theas eyes lit up at seeing him. She took a minute to look him over, enjoying the accented lines from the t shirt.

"Wow," she muttered, eyeballing him. "You look good."

"You sound surprised?" he laughed.

"Well i mean you were pretty torn up," she backtracked, smiling. "You shouldn't need that, its pretty nice out today."

"Where we headed?" he asked, tossing the hoodie back to the bed right before the elevator doors shut.

"Well that depends," she replied, hitting a button on the elevator and causing it to ascend. "Are you hungry?"

"Absolutely." he affirmed, stomach growling in time.

"Ever have Big Belly Burger?" she asked laughing.

"There's one on every earth apparently." he joked.

They stepped out of the elevator seeing Felicity at her computers like usual. She waved to them both, only looking up from her screens for a moment. She let out a quiet whistle as they walked by, causing Thea to glare are her and Felicity to wink back. The couple then got into the primary elevator and away they went.

"She totally is," Felicity muttered to herself, smiling.


	6. Chapter 6

_(Again, this story is Rated M for a reason. There is/will be an alternate section written if anyone wants to read it)_

Cut to Big Belly Burger

Thea and Jacob sat across from each other in a both off to the side. The restaurant was unusually quiet for this time of day, only a few tables were filled and only one waitress was around. The smell of grease and french fries permeated the air.

"Gee," Thea laughed. "Here i thought Renee was bad."

"Hey," Jacob shot back. "When i'm hungry, i'm hungry."

"Yea but three double stackers with everything?"

Jacob just shrugged and leaned back, clearly full. Thea sat there and just stared at him laughing.

"Well at least you've got something Renee doesn't," she sighed smirking at him.

"Whats that?" he asked, grinning lazily.

"That broken bird charm."

"Well, well, well," he taunted her. "If i didn't know any better i'd say you're flirting with me."

She instantly went silent, blushing slightly.

"That's not….i mean…." she stammered looking out the window. "Maybe i was wrong about needing that hoodie, it looks like it's going to rain."

"Nice subject change," he laughed.

"Tell me about her," she said, fidgeting with the ring around her necklace.

He paused for a second, caught off guard.

"You did say you would…" she pointed out.

"Yea, i guess you're right," he admitted, taking a breath. "She….no single word can explain her. She was miraculous, strong, fierce, beautiful, amazing. She had this way about her. I fell in love with her the minute i met her. I see a lot of her in your eyes, in your smile, hell even in the confident way you walk. Even when i was at my worst, she found something good in me. She was my equal, sometimes even better than me."

She smiled, hanging onto every word.

"We grew up with each other. I remember this one time after Ollie taught us both how to shoot bow, i was sitting in the kitchen talking to Grandma Moira when she handed me an apple and an arrow ended up pinning it to the wall. Thea stood in the doorway, smiling like crazy with a bow in her hand. Grandma Moira was furious about the wall but you could tell she was proud as hell. We spent most of our childhood competing with each other, till about high school. Then it all changed."

"How?" she asked, sincerely curious.

"Well.." he grinned mischievously. "That's something i'm going to hold onto."

"Oh come on!" she insisted.

"Nope."

She grumbled in silence for a minute, still fidgeting with the ring.

"What was the wedding like?" she asked quietly, looking down.

"The actual ceremony? Short but pretty huge. There must have been at least a hundred people there. All our family, vigilantes, heroes you name it, were there. You...i mean she, wore this elegant red dress. I was in a black and white tuxedo. It was perfect, Ollie even managed to talk Ray into officiating it."

"Ray Palmer?" she asked laughing. "He married...well remarried John and Lyla here."

"John and Lyla were married twice?" he asked astounded. "That's odd. On my earth you only marry once, divorce is unheard of."

"That must be nice. What about the hyphenating? I never imagined myself doing that."

"It's another thing singular to my earth," he laughed. "From what i understood, it was a way to remember both of the families, everyone did it; Lyla, Iris, Laurel…"

"How…" She stammered. "How did she die…"

"Prometheus," he started, choking up a bit. "He killed her…."

He coughed and shook his head.

"Not something i really want to talk about." He grunted, stabbing at his french fries with a fork.

"Oh, alright," she sighed. "Hey i know you're probably tired of sleeping in the infirmary, i have an apartment all to myself. It's not far from here if you want to…I used to share it with Laurel, but since she's gone, it gets kind of quiet."

"I'd like that," he replied smiling at her.

"Well let me take care of this and we'll go," she said, sliding out of the booth and standing up.

"Its raining," he laughed.

"I don't mind if you don't," she giggled mischievously.

He took one last drink of his soda, slid out of the booth and followed her. He held the door open for her, gaining a smile as they headed out into the rainy night.

They both fell through the doorway laughing, soaked to the bone and breathless. Thea tossed her keys onto the table and shrugged out of her jacket as Jacob shut the door behind them.

"I swear i didn't think it was going to downpour on us," she laughed unlacing her soggy boots.

"Ahuh sure," he laughed back, "And you weren't trying to race me that last block either."

"Hey! I was trying to get us both out of the rain faster is all." She giggled turning towards him.

Her boot caught her foot and she stumbled forwards, Jacob catching her as she did. For an endless second they stood there staring at each other in the eyes. The distance between them started to shrink as she straightened up and he leaned down as if to kiss her. He stopped and she smiled devilishly.

"Aren't you going to kiss me?" she asked quietly, staring at him.

He paused, then leaned down farther.

Suddenly a flash of lightning and a boom of thunder shattered the moment. With mumbled excuses and apologies, they broke apart.

"Showers just through there," she pointed out, shaking her head and turning away. "Just leave your clothes outside the door and i'll hang them up to dry."

He nodded and mumbled a confirmation and headed towards the shower. Thea sighed again, shaking her head firmly and flipped on the light switch, finding a small stack of clothing boxes on the table with a note attached to the topmost one. She immediately recognized the handwriting scrawled across it.

 _First two are for him_ , the note read, _last one is for you. Felicity._

She sighed and opened the first two boxes. Inside the first were a few folded t shirts and two pairs of pants. The second had what looked like a men's dress outfit; shirt, pants and a vest. The third box she hesitated at. Carefully she peeled it open, finding a very erotic outfit. She picked up the first piece, a beautiful leather and lace corset in crimson. Underneath sat a matching pair of panties and the attaching straps. _Seriously Felicity?!_ She thought, laying it back in the box and finding another small note. _Find out,_ was all it said, in the same handwriting. She packed the third box back together, picked up a shirt and pants at random and carried them into her bedroom. Chucking the third package onto her bed, she knocked on the bathroom door. She could hear the water running and the steam rolled out from under the door.

"Jacob," she called. "I have some dry clothes out here for you. Felicity sent them so i'm sure they fit better."

She waited a second before the door opened slightly, Jacob clutching one of her towels around his waist. She could partly see his reflection in the semi fogged mirror, getting a very good view of his toned backside.

"Right, thanks," he smiled, taking them in one hand. He sat them behind him on the sink and reached down for the pile of soaking wet clothes he had borrowed.

She smiled, speechless, taking the clothes and heading to hang them up as the door shut. She laid each item over a chair in her dining room before heading back to her bedroom and peeling out of her shirt. With a jingle, her necklace tumbled back down and hung between her cleavage. She lifted the ring up, looking from it to the box on the bed.

 _Oh screw it,_ she thought to herself. She opened the bathroom door and crept in wordlessly. Jacob slid the curtain open, about to say something before he saw her standing there. Without so much as a sound, she peeled her pants off, letting them drop to the floor with a wet sound. Reaching behind her, she unhooked her bra and let it land on the same pile. She slid her panties off, and sashayed towards him, stepping into the shower and pushing him against the wall.

"Thea what…" he started, only to be cut off by her standing up on her tiptoes and kissing him passionately. He stood frozen for a second before placing a hand on the back of her neck and returning the kiss.

She broke the kiss, breathless. The water was running down his shoulders in such a provocative way causing his muscles to be outlined in water. _He looks utterly delicious_ , she thought, _despite the stitches._ Thea couldn't resist, she pulled him down. She trailed kisses down his neck, pausing every so often to lightly nibble on his skin. Down his chest she went, causing him to moan, gasp and groan as she got close to his stitches or still healing wounds. She paused over his nipples, flicking them lightly with her tongue and causing him to moan. She could feel his member (there's gotta be a better word) growing hard against her skin as she teased and tormented his nipples. Continuing down his chest, she purposely slipped her supple breasts around his cock, rubbing them gently around it. She kissed farther down, stopping just above his waistline and teasing him. Every kiss she planted caused him to shudder and his member to twitch in anticipation. Suddenly, she grabbed it in her hand and squeezed hard.

"This," she whispered in his ear, squeezing his cock again. "Is mine now. Do you understand?"

He sharply exhaled and shuddered again, nodding unable to speak.

"Good," she whispered again, parting his lips with her tongue and kissing him deeply.

She loosened her grip, softly sliding her hand over his length as she continued kissing him. He moaned into her kiss and twitched against her touch. She started to rub her hand over his member faster, grinding against him, breasts rubbing all over his chest. One of her nipples caught over a set of his stitches and he flinched, half in pleasure, half in pain. She moaned from the sharp touch and he reached up from where his arms dangled and grabbed both her breasts. Her eyes lit up in surprise as he lightly pinched her nipples. With a devilish smile, she squeezed his member a little harder in response. She brought her left hand down below his cock and started massaging his balls, causing him to sigh.

"Thea," Jacob called, placing a warm hand on her shoulder and breaking her out of her fantasy. "Showers all yours."

She breathed in sharply, shaking her head and blinking rapidly. _Damn_ , she thought, _just a daydream._

Turning around, she saw him in only the pants she had given him, shirt slung over his shoulder. His skin was still slightly damp and pink from the heat of the water. _What i'd give to..._ she thought, catching herself.

"Right," she choked out, prying her eyes off his spectacular figure. "I guess i should get in then."

He nodded, eyes lingering on her half naked chest. With a stumble, he took a step back and turned around, heading for the couch. She hurried into the bathroom, closing the door and leaning against it. Her heart was pounding and her head spinning. _What is it about this guy?_ She thought to herself. With a frustrated sigh, she shook her head and turned on the water. Hot water spilled out as she finished undressing, tossing her remaining clothes into a haphazard pile.

The heat from the water felt amazing after running through the cold rain. Her muscles started to relax as it pounded down, steam building up and filling the room again. She sighed as her mind began to race. _A stranger, a man from another earth, is sleeping on my couch,_ she thought leaning against the shower wall, _and i'm in here fantasizing about him….what the hell is wrong with me?_ She looked up to the shower nozzle and let water spray across her face before stepping back and rubbing her eyes.

With a sigh of frustration, she shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her chest, digging around the shelf for a smaller one. Finding a smaller one, she wrapped it around her hair to dry. She wiped the condensation off of the mirror and stared at her own reflection for a few minutes.

 _(Alternate section will start here. Available on request only)_

I could use some sleep, she thought to herself as she noticed the dark circles beginning to form under her eyes.

SHe sighed, flipping the lights off and walked back into her bedroom. The whole apartment was silent as she slipped into a pair of shorts and shrugged on an oversized t shirt. She paused in the doorway between her room and the living room and listened. She could just barely hear the whisper of Jacobs breathing from the couch. SIlently, she padded into the living room and knelt down beside the arm of the couch. Jacob was mutterring in his sleep. She smiled and sat there for a few minutes, trying to make out what he was saying. Only a few words were audible.

"Tha….." he muttered, tossing slightly. "Thea….no…"

"Shhh," she whispered, brushing his damp hair out of his face. "Im here pretty bird…"

He continued muttering and started tossing more violently. After a few minutes he sat bolt upright, eyes flying open and looking around in confusion.

"Where…?" He asked scared, looking all around the room before his eyes adjusted to the dark and spotted Thea. "How.."

He shook his head before resting it in his hands, rubbing his eyes. Thea started to speak before he cut her off.

"That's right," he grunted, not looking up. "Different earth."

"Are you alright?" she asked, standing up and moving around the couch so she could sit beside him. "You were muttering in your sleep."

"Its nothing," he grunted, avoiding the question.

"You were muttering my name…" she whispered, folding her hands in her lap.

"Of course," he sighed shaking his head.

"Hey," she urged, caressing his check and trying to lift his head. "Look at me."

He fought for a second before turning to look at her. His eyes were bloodshot and the remains of tears were fading from his eyes. She stared into them for a a few minutes as he stared right back. Without another word, she leaned forward and kissed him full on the lips gently. She could feel his whole body suddenly tighten up before she pulled away, planting a gentle kiss on his forehead as well. He sat there speechless, staring at her. She smiled a kind, sympathetic smile before leaning in and kissing him again. This time his body did not tighten and he brought his hands up to the small of her back, pulling her closer. He could feel her smiling.

"Thea… I…" he started, breaking the kiss.

"Shh," she interrupted, placing two fingers over his lips before standing up from the couch. "No talking."

She grabbed his hands, pulling him up off the couch as well and towards her bedroom.

"But we…" he persisted, pulling back slightly.

"You'll sleep better in here," she insisted, pulling him into the bedroom and down onto the bed.

He landed beside her, with his head resting on her chest. Her heart thumped rhythmically in her chest, as she lightly brushed her fingers through his hair.

"I'm here," she whispered to him as his breathing slowed, falling asleep. "Don't worry, i'm not going anywhere."

He muttered something before falling completely asleep. She started humming a familiar tune before she fell asleep in turn.


	7. Chapter 7

The sun shining through the open window woke him up the next day. A cool breeze blew the curtains around as the sound of the city drifted inside. The delicious smell of warm food wafted through the apartment.

He leaned up and stretched, wincing when the strain pulled on the stitches. There was an indentation where Thea had slept the night before, the covers still strewn about from when she had left the bed. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stood up. Shaking off the feeling of dejavu, he walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen

Thea stood infront of the stove, flipping pancakes around on a griddle while humming to herself; bacon sizzled next to her. Her hair swished as she moved, her completely unaware.

Just like i always wanted, he thought silently to himself. He stood there for a moment, enjoying the sight and smiling. He leaned on the counter, causing it to squeak. Thea spun around holding the grease covered spatula high.

"Holy crap," she said startled. "I didn't hear you get up."

"I was enjoying the view," he replied with a flirty smile.

"Oh," she giggled with a blush, her eyes gazing at his shirtless torso.

"About last night…" he started scratching the back of his neck.

"Dont worry about it," she finished with a smile, turning back around and changing the subject. "I was planning on waking you up with some breakfast."

"Technically you did," he laughed. "You didn't have to."

"I wanted to," she insisted. "Besides, i think you need it."

She flipped a few pancakes onto two plates, all but dropping one. She lunged with the plate, catching it just before it fell below the countertop. She stood up, piled some bacon on both plates and motioned with her head to follow her. They walked over to the small table that sat between the kitchen and the living room and Jacob pulled two of the chairs out.

"A gentleman too?" Thea asked, smiling as she sat the two plates down.

Jacob grinned and pushed her chair in gently behind her. They sat down without another word and ate. After a few minutes, a rattling sound emanated from the other end of the table. Thea hopped up, grabbed her phone out of the tangle of objects and flicked the screen on.

"It's Felicity," she groaned, reading the text. "Ollies looking for you."

He nodded wordlessly in response, scarfing down the rest of his food and heading into the kitchen with his plate. She sat down and finished hers as well while he started rooting around for his shirt. She waved at the pile of boxes on the table, her mouth full of food; he caught the meaning and pulled a new one out of the box laughing. She swallowed a big mouthful and took her plate before heading to the door where her shoes sat. She slipped on a pair of sneakers and picked up her tangle of keys and her small purse as Jacob laced up the new shoes she had given him. Opening the door, Jacob caught her hand and pulled her close to him. With one swift motion, he placed his hand under her chin, tilted it up and kissed her. She smiled, placing a warm hand on his cheek and returned his kiss.

"Thank you," he whispered to her, breaking the kiss. "For everything."

"Just kiss me again," she replied, smiling.

Arrow cave- the quiver

Oliver stood with one hand on his head and his other arm crossed his chest in frustration/annoyance. Felicity sat in her usual spot, in front of the computers.

"You let him leave?" Oliver half growled half groaned.

"Well yea," she shot back. "What was i supposed to do, chain him to the infirmary bed?"

"Felicity," he groaned rubbing his temples and talking slower. "He's a man from another earth. We barely know anything about him or even if he has a doppleganger on this earth."

"I checked," She replied, spinning in her chair to face the monitors and bringing up several searches. "There is no mention of Jacob Lance anywhere, no criminal files, police reports, no missing persons, birth certificates, death certificates, social security, nothing. He doesn't exist here."

"What about in the list of victims from Prometheus' killing spree?"

"He. Does. Not. Exist." she insisted, waving her hands at the search records. "That was one of the first things i checked."

He groaned audibly.

"I thought everyone was supposed to have a doppelganger on each version of earth."

"Well yes there are doppelgangers," she sighed, taking her glasses off and rubbing the bridge of her nose. "But they don't exist with the same names, blood type, or anything like that. You exist as you are on this earth, but on any other given earth you might not be exactly the same; you could be a painter, a teacher, a lawyer, what have you. The fact that Jacob is from an earth where you were his father and you two have the same blood type is an astronomical improbability but isn't impossible. Just like he existed on his earth, under that name, as he is, doesn't mean he'll exist as the same person here."

"So you're saying he got really lucky," he groaned in frustration.

"Pretty much yeah," she sighed. "If you put it into complete layman's terms."

The elevator hummed to a stop and the doors opened. Out stepped Thea and Jacob, hand in hand and laughing. Oliver looked from Felicity, to Thea, then to their hands interlocked. With an audible grumble, he folded his arms over his chest and glared at them both. They stopped abruptly and Theas hand tightened in Jacobs.

"Where were you two," he asked with a growl.

"Needed some air…" Jacob started to say before Thea cut him off.

"I thought it would be better for him to get out of the infirmary and try to adjust to new surroundings," she said, squeezing his hand.

"And that?" he asked, nodding to their hands.

The two started to say something at the same time before Felicity cut them both off.

"You two shush," she interjected waving her finger at the couple and running her hand over Oliver's shoulder. "Oliver, let it go."

Olivers face showed his obvious frustration and annoyance as Felicity tried to calm him down. He closed his eyes and sighed, muttered something to her before he looked up at Jacob.

"I need to talk to you," he grumbled. "Privately."

"Yea, sure," Jacob replied.

Thea gave his head a squeeze before she let him follow Oliver out of earshot. Felicity waved her hands at Thea, motioning her to come closer and they lowered their voices.

"You did, didn't you?" Felicity asked her in a hushed whisper.

"What? No." Thea retorted, rolling her eyes and blushing. "But i wanted to."

"Oh come on," She giggled. "The way he looks at you, the hand holding, something had to have happened!"

"Well," Thea admitted, biting her lip and looking away. "We went out, i figured he was hungry so we ate. We got caught in the rain on the way back to my place…"

Felicity's eyes lit up as she gave a squeal of delight.

"Its not like that!" Thea exclaimed, her voice raising slightly as she blushed again. "I didn't think he should have to spend another night in the infirmary and well my apartment was closer. We had a moment...his eyes are just….but after we showered...separately!...he was asleep on my couch and…"

"You jumped his bones didn't you!" Felicity assumed, squealing.

"No!" she protested, turning a deeper shade of crimson. "Again i wanted to….but he was muttering in his sleep and he just looked s

o broken. We got to talking and well….I kissed him…"

"Shut up…"

Thea just nodded, looking over to where Jacob stood where she could only assume Oliver was interrogating him.

"Yea. I kissed him, and he kissed me back."

Oliver and Jacob stood on the other side of the room, across from each other with Olivers back to the ladies. He had his usual scowl fixed on his face, glaring at Jacob who shifted nervously.

"What did you need to talk to me about?" Jacob asked, nervously scratching the back of his neck.

"I understand being cooped up," He started slowly. "But you can't exactly go roaming about on a new earth."

"I wasn't exactly roaming," Jacob replied dryly. "No offense to you guys, but your infirmary gets a little old after a while."

"That's not the point," he glowered back. "I don't exactly know what would happen if you ran into your doppelganger here…

"And you dont trust me," Jacob finished, frowning. "Look. I get it. You have trust issues. The thing you need to realize about me is, despite you not being MY family, i'm not a danger to any of you."

"I don't know that," Oliver argued, folding his arms over his chest.

The two stood there for a few moments, half glaring at each other. Oliver shook his head and looked towards the wall where the arrows still speered balls to the wall.

"I see you're good with a bow." he offered, waving his hand in the direction.

"Yea," Jacob replied, looking away. "My father taught me."

"Were you…"

"A Vigilante?" Jacob finished. "I prefer to consider them Heroes, but no. I wasn't."

"Why not?" Oliver asked looking at the young man questioningly. "You seem to have the skill."

"Oliver and his rule." he reminded him.

"Right, no young partners." Oliver nodded. "Speedy was for a while here. She wasn't the first partner i took on, young or otherwise."

"I take it you had a Helena Bertinelli and Roy Harper here as well?" he asked grimly.

"We did, and do. Both are still alive, at least Roy was the last time we had info on his whereabouts." Oliver confirmed. "How did they die?"

Jacob went silent for a few minutes, walking over towards a pillar and leaning against it.

"Helena was headstrong and reckless. From what i heard, she received some shady information about a deal with the Triads, tried talking Oliver and Roy into joining her. Eventually Helena charged right in, leaving Roy and Oliver to try and bail her out. She didn't make it and it hit Roy pretty hard, turned to some illegal substances and ended up with a massive drug problem. Eventually it was what killed him." He recalled, eyes glossing over with remembrance.

"She was a kind woman and Roy was like an older brother to me. I'm not going to lie, it hit us all pretty hard."

"Sounds like you've seen and experienced a lot of death in your short life." Oliver stated.

"Ya think?" He laughed, bitterly. "Thats something ive been thinking about since i woke up here."

He turned and faced Oliver, looking directly into his eyes.

"I've seen good men and women die while i was forced to stand by," He pointed out. "I can't do that here. I want you to train me. Wherever you go on an earth, there is crime and deceit."

Oliver stared him down, taking a minute before he replied.

"Is it justice you want to fight for, or is it vengeance?" he asked quietly.

"Both," Jacob admitted. "I want to bring justice for those who the system has failed. I want to honor those who lost their lives. Most importantly, i want to use what my family has taught me."

Oliver went silent, considering his answer.

"Your justice sounds a lot like vengeance to me," He admitted.

"...is it so different from what you felt when you lost your Laurel…" Jacob shot back quietly.

Oliver spun around, anger spreading across his face and poised to yell.

"We both lost Laurel," Jacob continued. "You lost a friend, the woman i know you loved, despite you preparing to marry Felicity. I also lost the woman i loved more than anything."

Oliver raised his hand and pointed at jacobs chest, mouthing opening to say something before he grumbled and closed it.

"I avenged her." He said quietly, dropping his hand. "I killed Damien Darhk with my own hands and tried to honor her by making sure she wasn't the last Black Canary."

"Giving someone else her name, isn't honoring her…"Jacob shot back. "No one, i don't care who they are, will EVER replace Laurel Lance."

"That at least," Oliver sighed. "We both can agree on."

The two stood there in silence.

"What's going on with you and my sister," Oliver asked, breaking the silence.

Jacob jumped, and fumbled around.

"Well she….we...I.." he stammered, refusing to look him in the face.

"Are you two sleeping together?" He asked, grumbling.

"Well i mean," Jacob stammered again. "We slept….and i do mean slept...together...that's all."

"I'm sure," he said sarcastically.

"Oliver," Felicity called, making him flinch. "That's enough. Let. It. Go."

He let out one last sigh of protest and grasped Jacob by the shoulder.

"Remember," he growled. "I have arrows. Sharp ones, and a very good aim."

"Not the first time i've heard that," Jacob chuckled under his breath.

Oliver snorted, trying not to laugh as they turned and started back to the ladies. Felicity was tapping away at a keyboard as Thea sat beside her.

"Does that mean you'll do it?" Jacob asked a little louder, causing both Thea and Felicity to look up.

"We're not discussing it right now," Oliver replied, stepping up onto the raised floor towards the computer screens.

"Discussing what?" Felicity and Thea both asked, looking from Oliver to Jacob.

"Nothing." Oliver said firmly, looking over Felicity's shoulder.

'I want him to train me," Jacob broke in at the same time.

"Honey," Felicity cooed. "It wouldn't hurt to have someone else watching your back."

"With me in retirement," Thea pointed out. "Someone should be there."

"I have John and the team," he declared.

"What's one more?" Felicity asked.

"I said," he growled, veins sticking out in his forehead. "We're not discussing it right now."

He stared at Jacob for a few minutes before turning his attention to Felicity.

"Now where are you with the…" Oliver trailed off, looking over Felicity's shoulder.

Jacob shook his head in defeat, at least for the moment, and walked away from the platform. Thea shot her brother a dirty look and followed after Jacob. With a few quick steps, she caught up to him and pulled him behind the elevator wall. She pulled him close, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Don't take it personal," she soothed, kissing his cheek. "He's always been a bit stubborn but eventually he'll come around."

Jacob sighed and nodded.

"He wouldn't even train Laurel after Sara died the second time. Granted she sort of went around him with Ted Grant and even Nyssa later." she added.

Jacob stiffened and she pulled away to look at his face. She could almost see the light bulb of an idea turn on in his mind.

"Sara….Nyssa.." he muttered. "Thea, you're a genius!"

He kissed full on the lips deeply before letting her go and rushing over to a table.

"I am..?" she asked slightly caught off guard. "What do you mean?"

He waved her over, pushing aside a random assortments of parts and leftover scraps of mechanics.

"The only other person who would understand wanting to fight for a lost loved ones memory," he babbled, grabbing a piece of paper and starting to scrawl things down. "Sara."

"But she's on The Waverider?" she said, baffled.

"Exactly." He laughed, turning around and kissing her again. "Thank you."

"Well i mean, yea." she stammered out.

"Thea," came Olivers voice sternly. "We're needed at the office."

Oliver briskly started walking towards the elevator, opening the door and holding it, waiting for Thea. She sighed, kissed Jacob on the cheek as he scurried around picking up parts and laying them out on the table. With a shake of her head, she joined Oliver in the elevator, he allowing the doors to close.

"That was sort of harsh," she grumbled at him as they ascended to ground level.

"I don't trust him," he replied flatly, not looking at her.

"But i do…" she whispered, crossing her arms over her chest.


	8. Chapter 8

_For those who are reading: Id like to hear your thoughts and criticisms. If theres anything people want to see more of, less of, or just general thoughts, let me know. Either use the review slot of even send me a PM. Cheers mates._

* * *

Felicity looked up from the computer screens to see Jacob circling around the table, picking components up and writing things down on the paper in front of him. She couldn't make out what he wrote, so she stood up and slowly walked over towards him. He had a variety of circuit boards, electrical wires and diodes laid out at odd angles with the paper sitting in the middle.

"Whatchu doing?" she asked, picking up the piece of paper and trying to decipher his scrawling handwriting.

"Building something," he muttered, snatching it back and scribbling another line down.

"I can see that," she snorted, looking over the assortment of parts and wires.

"Soldering iron?" he asked, looking around and then at her.

"Over there," she pointed, as he turned around and snatched it up.

He plugged it in, waiting a few minutes before grabbing a few circuit boards and connecting a series of wires to them. Sitting them around a center block, he grabbed up a few more pieces, deftly manipulating them and attaching more wires.

"Well i guess i'll leave you to it," Felicity muttered, backing away.

He nodded in response, disassembling a few more pieces and splicing them together oddly. She walked back to her computer chair, keeping a watchful eye on him as she sat down.

The elevator doors dinged and slid open. Curtis gave a cheery wave to Felicity and walked over to sit beside her.

"Whos…?" He asked pointing over to where Jacob was.

"New guy," she explained, clattering away at her keyboard. "Different earth, Laurels adopted son, Oliver's son technically, long story."

"Wait, wait, wait.." he sputtered. "Laurel and Oliver's son? What's he doing here? How'd he get here?"

"You know how cisco can make those blue portal things?" she asked sighing.

"Breaches?" He asked frowning. "Yeah i know of them in theory. Never actually seen one myself."

"Well apparently another Cisco, on another earth, made one and out popped our friend over there."

"Can i talk to him? Is he dangerous? Should we be worried about what he's building?" he asked, peering over to the table and looking him over.

"Good luck, i tried before you came in." She mumbled, looking over some files she pulled up on one screen. "Seems to be pretty immersed in whatever hes building."

"Worth a shot then," he said with a smile before bouncing up and walking over to Jacob.

Jacob now had a tower of parts spliced together on the table, scratching things out on his paper as he went. Curtis slowly walked over.

"Hi there," he said cheerily giving a small wave. "I'm…."

"Curtis Holt," Jacob finished before he could introduce himself. "Yes i know. Inventor, scientist, bronze medal olympian, Mr Terrific, and by the looks of it, recently separated."

"How…" Curtis sputtered, a confused look on his face. "How did you know all that?"

"I knew a Curtis Holt on my earth," He explained, looking up for a second. "That and there's an indent on your ring finger still."

"Oh," Curtis sighed, looking down at his now bare ring finger. "Paul...left me over all of this. What about you? I don't see a ring on your finger."

"I.."Jacob started, setting down his tools and stopping for a second. "Lost her."

"Ah. Well," He stammered, changing the subject. "What're you building? It looks like you've got the beginnings of a signal amplifier and a frequency generator."

"Basically yea," Jacob agreed with a wave to the parts. "Best i can scrounge together from what they have here."

"I have a bunch of spare parts from mine and felicity's days in Palmer Tech," he offered, looking over the mismatch and reading a few items off the paper list. "They're in a crate in the cabinet."

He walked over to a row of cabinets, opened a lower door and pulled out a medium sized wooden crate filled with an assortment of circuit boards, half metal spheres, and other mechanical parts. With a thud and a few metallic clanks, he sat the crate down on the table. Felicity looked up and smiled as Jacob started pulling random pieces from the crate and assembling them into his mass.

"Say i wanted to send a program or a series of commands over a signal, or wirelessly upload them to a mainframe," Jacob started, soldering together a few more connections. "What would you suggest i use?"

"Thats simple," Curtis laughed, picking up half of a discarded T-Sphere. "Miniaturized quantum computer. Tie that directly into your signal amplifier along with some choice coding and you're set."

Jacob grabbed the half sphere out of his hand and started looking over the inside components, scratching down a few notes before pulling a few wires free from his tangle.

"What are you trying to broadcast, or upload to?" Curtis asked skeptically.

"Lets just say," Jacob muttured. "Hypothetically, i would be broadcasting a signal and piggybacking a series of command codes to upload a subroutine into a quantum computer that would make your T-Sphere look like an ipod."

"Would this supercomputer happen to be The Waverider?" he asked, giving Jacob a skeptical look. "Hypothetically."

Jacob sat the circuit board down and looked up at Curtis.

"Dont judge me," he grumbled. "I read Felicity's files on you guys. You should know exactly how it feels to want to make something better from the bad situation you're in, and have Oliver shoot you down."

"Woah easy man," Curtis replied, holding his hands up. "No judgement from me. Though you might want to heal up a little before you try any training like Olivers."

He pointed to Jacobs chest where a small patch of blood stained gauze showed through.

"I'll be fine," Jacob replied, brushing it off. "You're a programmer here as well right? If i give you a basic layout for a subroutine and line or two of command codes can you write me a program that will run them?"

"Is an asymmetric encryption the easiest to hack?" he asked grinning.

"Ill take that as a yes." Jacob nodded, resuming his motley sculpture.

Curtis gave jacob a weird look before shaking his head and walking over to another table. He picked up a tablet and started tapping away at it.

'You're going to need this," Jacob pointed out to him as he scratched a few things down on another sheet of paper. He handed it to him.

"Are you…?" Curtis asked.

"Yes, that phrase exactly within those parameters," Jacob finished, pulling the insides out of the half sphere and looking them over.

"Right." Curtis replied with a wince.

Felicity gave Curtis a questioning look as he shrugged it off and waved it away in dismissal.

* * *

Curtis sat in a small black leather chair in the corner of the Arrow cave tapping away at his tablet. With a sigh of frustration, he sat it down and rubbed his eyes. The words "Simulation Failure' scrolled across the screen and blinked a few times.

"Problems?" Jacob called from across the room, his voice echoing in the silence.

"Just a couple lines of code not wanting to cooperate." Curtis feebly called back. "I need coffee."

He stood up and stretched, noticing Felicity wasn't in her usual spot.

"Guess im not the only one," He chuckled. "You want something?"

"Nah," Jacob replied with a mumble, staring at his contraption. "I'm good."

"Don't know how you do it," Curtis replied, walking towards the elevator. "It's been 38 hours man. How are you still standing?"

"Sheer force of will," Jacob shrugged, ripping out a wire and connecting it to a new location.

Curtis laughed and shook his head, jumping into the elevator with a wave. Jacob connected another wire and spun the jumbled machinery around a few times.

"That should do it," He mumbled to himself.

His finger hesitated over a small switch before flicking it on. With a low hum and a whir of electricity, the contraption sparked to life. A small screen he installed illuminated and displace a very numbers before a small dial appeared with a frequency scale beside it. He smiled in triumph, flipping the switch back off and causing the machine to slowly power down. With a few movements of stretching, he walked over to where Curtis had previously sat and picked up his tablet. He flicked the flashing message off the screen and looked over the lines of code. A few lines stuck out, and after reading them a couple of times, he changed their variables. He quickly scrolled through the rest, nodding in satisfaction before pushing a button to run the scenario. After a few minutes of calculating and lines scrolling by, a new message popped up.

'Simulation Complete.'

Without hesitation, he ran over to felicity's workstation and grabbed a portable hard drive. Plugging it in, he tapped a few buttons and uploaded the program to it. Unplugging the portable drive and placing it in his pocket. He hesitated for a second before scrolling through the menu, looking for a way to erase it from the tablet.

"Im sorry, Curtis," He said out loud before hitting the delete accept button.

A second later the program was gone completely.

He grabbed a box, sat his contraption inside and tapped it shut. Pulling a sheet of crumpled paper out from underneath a scatter of wire, he scrawled a note.

 _If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door._

With a sigh, he sat it on Felicity's keyboard and headed for the stairs. Taking the hidden exit to street level would ensure his chances of not running into Curtis on the way back.

Thankfully the city was laid out exactly the same on his earth, making it an easy task to locating the train station. No one seemed to notice Him as he briskly walked through the streets. He entered the building, blending right in with the crowds of people scattering about. In the center of the terminal stood a large sign with train comings and goings. He stopped in front of it, securing the box underneath his arm and scanned down through the list. His eyes stopped as he found the perfect one, heading off in the direction of the platform

The train groaned to a halt, a series of tones playing over the loudspeaker as people surged out of the opening doors. After a few minutes, people began shuffling back onto the train. Jacob blended in with them, slipping inside and making his way to one of the cargo compartments. Finding it empty of people, he sought out a corner, moving a few other boxes and crates. He squeezed his way in, hauling a box in front of him while making enough room to sit.

"Next stop," he heard the muffled conductors voice shout. "Central City Direct."

With a smile, Jacob pulled a tarp from on top of the nearby box over his head, cloaking himself in shadow as he waited.


	9. Chapter 9

Cisco Ramon walked through the halls of Star Labs muttering to himself and studying a tablet. The screen illuminated his face as he tapped a few items. He walked into his lab, the lights flickering on as he sat the tablet down and noticed a new box sitting on his table.

"Well hello," He said to himself. "What do we have here."

He opened the box and pulled the top covering up off of it. The motley sculpture revealed itself and blinked a dim light.

"It's not reaching the correct wavelength." Came Jacobs voice from a corner

Cisco nearly jumped out of his skin, knocking over the chair closest to him and shooing a blast of energy right above his head.

"Dude cant you cough or something?!" He exclaimed, clutching his chest and laughing.

Jacob stood up and walked over to Cisco, laughing.

"Did you build this?" Cisco asked, looking over the machinery.

"Yea," he shrugged. "I picked up a few things from the Cisco on my earth."

"It's...interesting…" Cisco muttered, standing back and scanning over it. "Not reaching the correct wavelength for what?"

"Trying to reach something pretty far away, both in time and space."

Cisco shot him a quizitorial look before spinning around the machine.

"Looks like you need a wavelength oscillator then.." He started, digging through a few bins.

"Ramon, i need your help with…" Harrison Wells butted in, walking through the door holding a tablet. He looked up and stopped when he saw Jacob.

"Who's this?" He asked, nodding to Jacob. "How'd you get in here?"

"Thats a good point," Cisco agreed, looking from Harry to Jacob. "How _did_ you get in here?"

"I grew up here," Jacob laughed, grinning. "I know all the ins and outs of this place, plus youre security could use an upgrade."

"See!" Cisco shouted at Harry and waving his hands in the air, Harry rolled his eyes in response.

"What do you mean you grew up here? I've never seen you around here…" Harry asked, glaring at Jacob.

"I…" Jacob started before Cisco cut in.

"Dude," Cisco cut short. "He's from another Earth, long story."

"I see." Harry grunted, eyes coming to the machinery on the table in front of them both. "Signal amplifier, Frequency generator and what looks like a miniaturized quantum computer."

"Yea, its not reaching the wavelength im aiming for." Jacob replied, stepping back.

"You need an Oscillator…." Harry started.

"Already ahead of you," Cisco finished, pulling out the piece he was looking for out of the bin.

"Did you also tell him about changing the couplers to avoid EM interference?" Harry asked Cisco, walking up to it and pointing out the problem.

"I was about to before you barged in." Cisco shot back.

"What about the general elasticity of this wiring…"

"I'm working on that!"

Jacob stood back and smiled, watching the two bicker back and forth.

"I'll leave you two to it then," He laughed, taking a few more steps back. They ignored him, spinning the machinery around and arguing further.

Jacob laughed to himself, walking out of the workshop and into the hallway. Lights flickered on, lighting the place as he went. After a few minutes of wandering, he made his way to the Cortex. The center console light up, startup programs wiring to life as the rest of the room started turning on as well. A metal screen slid into the wall, revealing The Flash suit.

He walked up to it, lightly touching the lightning bolt emblem on the chest. The suit was slightly different then he remembered; the shoulders not as broad, the red a deeper hue, the lightning on the cowl stood seemed shorter. The material itself seemed a bit better designed, giving it a more textured look than the smooth he remembered. He sighed, walking away and into the med lab area.

Now the med lab was exactly the same. Everywhere he looked, a memory stood out to him. The gurney where he sat as a child, Caitlin applying first aid to a scraped knee. The full body scanner where Wally laid the day after getting his speedster abilities. The speedmil where he watched Wally test his abilities. He touched the doorframe, remembering where she would record all three children's height throughout their growth. Sadness and longing shown on his face.

"Are you alright?" Caitlins voice whispered.

He looked up to see her standing just inside the cortex main doorway, holding a coffee cup and smiling.

"Jessi was the tallest till about 5th grade," He muttered, looking down at the clean doorway. "Then Wally and i shot up. She got so mad." He smiled sadly.

"Must be a lot of memories here for you," She whispered sweetly, walking towards him.

"Yea," he sighed. "There are."

He stepped back, allowing her to walk into the med bay. She sat her coffee cup down on the counter and shrugged off her sweater, grabbing a lab coat.

"Well," she said, brushing her hair back so it drifted over shoulders. "What brings you here?"

"You made a housecall last time," He laughed. "Figured it was my turn to come to you."

She blushed and smiled at him.

"You did say about a follow up exam," He pointed out, leaning against the gurney.

"So i did." She agreed. "Well, take your shirt off and lets see."

"If you say so doc," He laughed, making her blush even deeper.

She pulled on a pair of white surgical gloves with a snap, and stood up. He lifted his shirt up over his shoulders and let it crumple onto the gurney. She slowly removed the bandages and discarded them. With a light touch, she inspected his wounds.

"Where does it hurt?" she asked, turning him around and removing the bandages from his back and shoulders.

"It doesn't actually," he admitted, closing his eyes and enjoying her touch.

She brushed her fingers close to a set of stitches causing him to wince.

"Really now?" she teased looking around at his face to see him grinning sheepishly.

"It's just tender is all," he replied.

She had him turn back around to face her as she inspected his wounds further.

"Are you experiencing any muscle pain or limited motion?" she asked, lightly prodding his lower abdomen.

"Not especially," he grimaced as she did so. "But I'm not about to go jumping off any buildings anytime soon."

She frowned at him before continuing with his exam. Her hands drifted down to his waistline and stopped, comparing the muscle elasticity.

 _Do it,_ she thought to herself _, Just do it Caitlin. Killer Frost would._ Her mind began swirling around lustful thoughts, staring at his muscular torso and imagining what lay in wait below.

"Problem doc?" Jacob asked, looking down at her with a grin.

She just shook her head in response before continuing back up his chest.

"You're healing up nicely," she said brushing a thumb over the most recent set of stitches. "Remarkably so in fact."

She looked up and met his eyes. Silence filled the room.

 _Ah hell,_ she thought right be for standing up on her tiptoes and kissing him full on the lips. His whole body stiffened, before a wave of calm spread back through. He place a hand on the small of her back and another on her cheek, brushing her chestnut hair away from her face. He pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.

"Caitlin i…." came a female voice accompanied by the clack of high heels.

The two jumped apart, Jacob grabbing his shirt and attempting to pull it on. Caitlin took a step back, scratching her head in frustration before turning to face the voice.

Iris West Allen stood in the doorway to the cortex, one hand holding a coffee cup, the other a tablet. She had a look of frustration mixed with confusion on her face, looking from Caitlin to Jacobs torso.

 _Dammit Iris_ , Caitlin thought, mentally pouting. _Soon as I get the courage to do it, you butt in._

"Hey Iris," she replied, faking a smile and her cheery voice. "What did you need?"

"It's not important now…" Iris stammered as she peeled her eyes off of Jacob. "Who's this?"

"Jacob is a special patient of mine," she replied biting her lip. "I was just doing a follow up exam…"

"Is that what you were doing?" Iris laughed raising an eyebrow.

Jacob turned around, smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt.

"Where are my manners," he said stepping forward and extending his hand towards Iris. "Jacob Lance. Pleased to meet you….again…"

"Iris West-Allen," she replied with a smile , setting her tablet down and shaking his hand. She noticed he had a firm grip before raising an eyebrow. "Did you say Lance?"

"Yes, mam" he affirmed. "Laurel Lance was my mother."

"Laurel was your...wait how is that possible? What do you mean, again? She asked looking to Caitlin for answers.

"Jacob is from another earth." Caitlin replied, smiling. "It's a long story."

"Oh. Are you by chance from the same earth as Kara?" She asked, looking him over skeptically. "You dont look like an alien."

"No mam," he laughed. "Earth 119."

"119?" she asked confused. "I thought there were only 35?"

"That's because there are only 35 known versions of earth, 119 doesn't exist." Harry butted in, walking through the cortex with Cisco on his heels.

"Dude, multiverse theory," Cisco interjected. "Infinite versions."

"I can assure you," Jacob insisted. "It did exist."

"Then why can't Cisco vibe you?" Harry grumbled, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Do I look like a breacher to you?" Jacob shot back. "No offense, Cisco."

"None taken…." he paused. "That gives me an idea."

He grabbed a piece of paper and scratched something down before crumpling it up and opening a breach. With a quick toss, the paper disappeared through the breach.

"It's like you're in high school again," Iris laughed.

"Don't mock it," Cisco retorted. "It works."

Harry rubbed his forehead, turning away to hide the fact that a smile was creeping towards his face.

They waited a few minutes before another breach opened and Gypsy appeared.

"Hey guys," she said smiling and giving a little wave before turning and grinning happily at Cisco. "Hey schmoopsy."

"Hey you," He cooed in response, greeting her with a kiss.

Harry rolled his eyes while Iris made a silent gagging noise at the couple; Caitlin giggled into her hand. Jacob laughed at the two and smiled in nostalgia.

"Whos this?" she asked, tearing away from Cisco and staring at Jacob.

"This is Jacob," Caitlin answered her, running her hand across Jacobs shoulder. "Jacob, this is Gypsy."

He smiled and nodded at her, she giving a quick smile in response.

"Settle something for us," Cisco said to Gypsy. "How many earths are there?"

"That I've been to?" she asked, pausing to think. "Id say, mid sixties? My father's been to a lot more."

"Ever been to earth 119?" Harry cut in, ignoring Cisco's look shot his way.

"119?" She asked frowning. "I think….peaceful place for the most part. Had a weird religion, bigger group than what you guys have. Strange timeline though, almost like it was accelerated."

Jacob shot Harry a look and grinned.

"Why?" Gypsy asked Cisco, looking to each of them with a puzzled look on her face.

"Your abilities work on the same principle as Ramons, yes?" Harry asked ignoring her question.

"Well yea but," She started.

"Good," He cut her off again, grabbing Jacob by the shoulders and pushing him closer to Gypsy. "Vibe him."

She stepped back and looked at Cisco, confused and slightly startled.

"Humor him," Cisco said rubbing his forehead in frustration.

She sighed, and reached out to touch Jacob on the arm. Closing her eyes to focus, she grabbed a hold of his arm.

Red waves of energy began emitting from her hands and raced up Jacobs arms. Harry let out a grunt in surprise and released his shoulder, stepping back. Jacobs whole body shook violently as his eyes lit up with the red energy. Gypsy grabbed his other shoulder with her free hand and tried to stabilize him. A red breach began opening between the two, small at first and started to grow. Cisco raised his hands and shot a wave of blue energy at them both, knocking them both apart and the red breach blinked out of existence. They both hit the floor with an audible thud and didn't move.

"What the hell is going on?" Joe asked walking into the Cortex doorway.

Caitlin ran to Jacobs side, grabbing him by the shoulders and trying to sit him up as Cisco ran to Gypsys side and started shaking her.

"Wake up!" he shouted at her. "Come on Cynthia wake up!"

"He doesn't have a pulse…" Caitlin breathed, terror spreading to her face. "Joe i need you to carry him."

He nodded firmly and scooped Jacob up, carrying him over to the med bay and laying him gently on the bed.

"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on already?" Joe shouted, spinning around to face Iris and looking terrified.

"Dad, not now." She sighed, grabbing his hand and trying to calm him.

"Harry, i need a hand," Caitlin commanded, waving him over.

"Flip that switch," she said pointing to a set of defibrillators. "Turn the dial to three hundred and hand them here."

She grabbed a syringe out of the drawer and injected its contents into Jacobs neck as Harry did as she commanded, handing the paddles to her

"Clear!" she shouted, everyone taking a step back as she shocked his chest.

Jacobs body arched up for a second from the sudden shock of electricity and Caitlin pressed his her fingers to his neck.

"Still nothing," She muttered. "Harry, again."

He flipped the switch again, and a small whine emitted from the machine, followed by a beep a few seconds later. Caitlin touched the paddles to Jacobs chest again, body arching.

"You didn't say clear…" Joe muttered under his breath as Harry shot him a dirty look.

"Harry, turn the dial to 400," She commanded.

He obeyed wordlessly before nodding to her, the whine and beep echoing again. She touched the paddles to Jacobs chest one more time, his body arching. This time when he fell back to the bed, he gasped for air. His eyes shot open and his face paled, before he sank back. Caitlin dropped the paddles and touched his neck, this time finding a steady pulse.

A quiet groan came from Gypsy as her eyes fluttered open.

"Cisco…" she breathed shakily, clutching his arms. "It's gone…..its just….gone…"

"Shh, hey" he cooed, brushing her hair from her face. "Its ok. Calm down."

She collapsed into his arms, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.

"I've never seen you cry…." Cisco whispered, clutching her tighter.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on now?" Joe asked quietly as Caitlin unbuttoned Jacobs shirt farther and attached the electrodes for a heart monitor to his chest.

"Dad, come on." Iris said to him as she tugged at his arm. "I'll explain what i can."

"What about…" Joe asked, waving at Jacob on the bed.

"He'll be alright, Caitlin knows what she's doing." Iris replied, tugging at his arm a little harder.

Caitlin gave Joe a sympathetic smile before he begrudgingly allowed Iris to pull him away. Harry tried to say something before picking up the paddles and setting them back down on the machine, pushing it back to where it sat and walking out of the medbay silently.

Caitlin brushed away the hair from Jacobs forehead, planting a gentle kiss on it.

"Don't worry," she whispered, caressing his cheek. "I'm here."

The heart monitor increased its sound for a split second in response.


	10. Chapter 10

Joe walked back into the medbay a few hours later, slowly looking over Jacob as he lay in the bed. The heart monitor beeped steadily, filling the room with an electronic echo. Caitlin sat in a chair right next to him, leaning over and fast asleep on the bed. He gently laid his hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Caitlin," he whispered, giving her a little shake.

She sat up and mumbled before shaking her chestnut ringlets around and squinting at Joe.

"I brought you some coffee." he whispered, offering a styrofoam cup with the logo for CC Jitters emblazoned on the side.

She smiled sleepily, sitting up and accepting the cup. Taking a drink she sighed and wiped the sleep from her eyes. Joe smiled at her fondly before moving to the other side of the bed, to better get a look at the man.

"So that's my grandson…." he whispered, staring down at Jacob.

"Technically." Caitlin corrected, blinking herself awake. "He's not blood related and he's from.."

"Another earth," Joe finished. "Iris and Cisco told me. All this metaphysical stuff is just strange."

"How's he doing?" he asked as she yawned and stood up, stretching.

"Medically, he's fine." She answered, walking over to Jacobs heart monitor and checking the readings. "Thankfully whatever that blast was did not damage any of his internal organs and didn't cause any further physical damage. Now i would suspect there could be some mental damage."

"What do you mean?" Joe asked worried.

"Well," She started, picking up a tablet and pulling up a cranial scan of Jacobs brain. "You see this area here? This is the section of the brain that handles fear, the fight or flight response."

Joe nodded, barely understanding.

"It seems to be overactive." she continued.

"He's scared?" Joe asked, looking confused.

"He's terrified." She corrected, setting the tablet down and stroking Jacobs cheek. "I've kept him on a solution of alpha blockers to stabilize the constant adrenaline influx, that way his heart doesn't give out."

"Can't you just, wake him up?" He asked, shrugging.

"Easily," she affirmed. "But i don't know how it would affect his mental state right now."

"What do we do then?" Joe asked, looking helpless.

"I might be able to help with that." Cisco interjected, walking up with a small speaker and setting it on Jacobs bedside. With a few taps on the tablet he carried in his other hand, gentle music began playing; the melody filled the medbay.

"I know that song…" Joe said smiling. Both Caitlin and Cisco froze for a second. "It's from that old gangster movie. You know the one with…"

"Yea," Cisco butted in. "Our friend here said his mother used to sing it to him. I thought maybe it would calm him enough for Caitlin to lower the Alpha blockers."

"That's sweet Cisco," she said, smiling at him.

Joe nodded his head, humming the tune under his breath.

"Why don't you sing to him?" Caitlin asked Joe.

"Me?" he laughed, smiling sadly. "When she was a kid, Iris used to say i couldn't carry a tune in a bucket with a lid on it."

"Come on," She pleaded.

"Dude, we've never heard you sing…" Cisco insisted.

"Alright," he sighed. "You asked for it."

With a cough, he cleared his throat and took a breath. He started to sing along with the music, first off key, but then his deep voice found the right pitch and the air was filled with a beautiful harmony. Cisco's face showed his surprise, while Caitlin smiled and began swaying gently along with the music. He continued on, closing his eyes and emotion flooding his singing as Iris walked up the steps and leaned against the doorframe. Caitlin looked down at her tablet and smiled happily, before quietly clapping along with Cisco.

"That did it Joe," She whispered, showing him the results on the screen. "His adrenaline levels are decreasing."

"That's good right?" He asked, looking from the monitor to the bed.

"That's very good," she replied smiling, giving him a hug. "I can decrease the Alpha blockers and hopefully wake him up soon."

Joe nodded, eyes starting to tear up as Iris walked up to him and gave him a warm hug.

"That was beautiful dad," she said into his shoulders as he gave her a squeeze.

Jacob sleepily opened his eyes and looked around the room. He was laying on the couch in Laurels apartment. Candles burned in the fireplace, giving the whole room a warm feel and the smell of vanilla wafted through the air. The curtains lazily danced in the window as the pale moonlight shown through. An old style record player sat close by, the disc on it spinning in circles and static playing through the speaker. He slowly got up and walked over towards it, flicking the switch and watching as the disk slowly spun to a stop. He turned around and saw Joe sitting at the table in between the kitchen and the living room, staring at a stack of papers with a tumblr of what he could only assume was whiskey sitting beside him.

"Well hey there sleepy head," Joe drawled, smiling at him as he walked over.

"Joe?" He asked, confused.

"Joe?" Joe called back, laughing and pushing out a chair for jacob to sit in. "Since when are you too old to call me Paw Paw?"

Jacob sat down in the chair, bewildered.

"Where am i?" he asked, staring around the room.

"What do you mean?" Joe asked back, not looking up. "You're home son."

"But i... " he started to say, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Joe asked, this time looking up to see the bewildered expression on Jacobs face. "You and Wally rough housin' again? You hit your head or something?"

"Wally? Where's Wally?" He asked, twisting in his chair to look around the apartment.

"It's Tuesday," Joe replied, flipping a few pieces of paper over and pulling some photographs out of an envelope on his left. "He's with Barry and Iris today, you know this."

"Joe really," he said panicking, grabbing his arm and shaking it. "Somethings wrong."

Joe slid his chair out slightly and looked up at Jacob, concern showing on his face.

"I had this weird dream," Jacob started, gripping Joe's arm tighter. "It was after my wedding and everything went wrong. Everyone was dead and then i was on this different earth. I met everyone all over again and things were different. Ollie and Laurel werent married. Harrison was still alive."

"Woah woah woah," he stammered. "Calm down son. It was just a dream."

"But it felt so real," Jacob insisted.

"It's over now," Joe soothed, standing up and wrapping his arms around Jacobs shoulders.

"It…." He started, shaking a little.

"You need to wake up now son…..You need to wake up…"

Jacob felt the warmth and weight of Joes hug disappear as his voice slowly faded away. He blinked a few times as the room too started to fade away. He tried to stand but it felt like a massive weight had suddenly been placed on his legs as he fell forward onto his chest.

"You need to wake up…...wake up son…"

Joe's voice echoed a few more times before it faded completely, leaving Jacob in a crumpled heap, unable to move. After a few seconds, everything turned to black.


	11. Chapter 11

Jacob sat bolt upright from the bed with a gasp, looking around the med bay in panic. The leads to the heart monitor stretched and snapped with the movement, causing the machine to flatline and emit an irritating squeal.

"Caitlin!" Joe shouted, trying to force Jacob to lay back down as he tore at the leads and the IV tube stuck in his arm. "Relax kid!"

"Jacob calm down!" Caitlin called, rushing over and placing her hands on either side of his thrashing face. "Look its me, you're ok, you're safe!"

He stared at her, calming down and blinking rapidly. He slowly stopped tearing at the attachments and stopped thrashing, body shaking and breathing rapidly. Joe warily let go of him and sat down.

"Cait...lin…?" He asked in between heaving breaths.

She nodded and slowly took her hands away from his face, dropping one to where his hands sat at his side.

"What happened?" he asked, his breathing becoming more stable.

"We're not sure," she admitted, looking worriedly into his eyes. "Gypsy touched you and there was this red energy wave rolling off of you both. Then there was a red breach trying to form."

He gazed back, clearly confused.

"What do you remember?" Joe asked, leaning forward slightly.

"I…." Jacob started before pausing. "Nothing after she touched me, just pain and then nothing."

"Your heart stopped…" Caitlin whispered, staring at him.

"Are you sure you don't remember anything?" Joe asked again.

"Nothing," Jacob repeated, shaking his head. "How's Gypsy?"

"She's with Cisco," Caitlin replied, squeezing his hand before unwrapping the tangled mess of wires and IV tubes from around him. "Whatever happened, you were on the receiving end of the worst of it."

"Can i see her?" he asked, moving to stand up from the bed.

"Ohhh noo," She scolded, pushing him firmly back down on the bed as she stood up. "You're going to sit right here for a few minutes."

He looked at Joe for help but Joe just smiled and held up his hands.

"I'm not fighting with the Doctor," Joe chuckled. "I'll bring you something to eat though."

Jacob groaned and laid back as Joe laughed and headed out of the med bay. Caitlin shook her head, sending her chestnut curls in a flutter as she tossed the remaining IV tubes onto the counter and sighing to herself.

"You scared the crap out of me," she whispered turning around to face him and laying a cool hand on his forehead.

"Relax doc," he chuckled, nuzling at her cool touch. "I'm not giving up that easy."

She smiled down at him as he reached for her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. A cliche cough made them both look up to the entryway, where Harrison Wells stood awkwardly. He stepped forward with a small device in his hands.

"Doctor Wells," Jacob called, trying to sit up.

"Please," he muttered, shuffling his feet. "Harry."

He took a second, scratching his head and avoiding looking directly at Jacob before he spoke again.

"I…" He stammered, before coughing again. "Your tech was a bit crude, despite some impressive innovation. I...we..made a few adjustments and well.."

He handed Jacob the device and took a step backwards.

"That should work for what you told Cisco you were trying to do," He muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "That program you wrote…"

"Thank you," Jacob cut in, turning it over in his hands. "How do i activate it?"

"Just hit the button on the side, give it a few seconds to fully broadcast and that should do it."

"Perfect," Jacob replied smiling. "Thank you again."

Harry grunted something inaudible before giving a small smile and stepping back out of the med bay.

"It wasn't your fault," Jacob called as Harry walked away. He hesitated a step before shuffling faster away.

"That's about as close as your going to get for an apology," Caitlin muttured, shaking her head.

"I dont blame him," Jacob retorted, looking down at the device. "He couldn't have known what would've happened."

"Well," She sighed changing the subject. "What's that he gave you?"

"A door," he muttered in response before closing his eyes and gripping the device tightly in his hand.

She looked at him with a questioning look before shaking her head and gently shaking his shoulder.

"You really shouldn't try to sleep again," She urged gently. "I need run a few tests to see if there's any cognitive damage."

"Cognitive damage?" He asked, opening his eyes and sitting up.

"Head trauma," She explained picking up her tablet with the earlier readings displayed. "Your brain was overactive in dangerous regions, i need to check and see if those heightened states did any permanent damage."

"Oh…" he replied, not understanding completely.

"Come to think of it," she muttered. "A full body scan wouldn't be too much of a stretch, would give me a chance to check of your mobility responses as well."

"You're the doc, doc." He chuckled, swinging his legs over the edge and preparing to stand up.

"Slowly now," She urged, gently grabbing his arm and placing a hand on his back.

With shaky movement, Jacob managed to stand and took a step. He smiled whenever he managed to not pitch forward, Cailin throwing a hand to his bare chest causing him to shiver slightly.

"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"Your hand," he chuckled. "Its cold."

"Im sorry," she whispered shly, removing it and stepping back.

"Don't be," He replied with a coy grin. "I like it."

She blushed and went silent, waving her hand to where the body scanner sat a few steps away. He laughed to himself silently and slowly stepped over towards it, his bare feet barely making a sound on the floor. WIth a grunt, he sat down carefully lifted his legs onto the patient tray that slid out from the chamber.

"Should i be worried about anything metal in here?" He asked, his voice slightly echoing from where his head sat partly inside the chamber.

"No," She laughed, with a smile. "It doesn't run on any sort of magnetic energy, you'll be fine."

"Good, someone already removed my belt anyway," He replied, touching the side of his hip.

He could practically hear her blushing again, causing him to smile.

"Just try to sit still and relax, it shouldn't take long," She called as the tray slowly slid into the chamber.

Lights started to slowly flicker on around him as it slid completely inside, giving the whole chamber a bluish glow. After a few seconds, he could hear a low hum start to build up and became steady.

"How does this thing work exactly?" He asked, trying not to move.

"It's a modification of a computed tomography scanner that we got from Palmer Tech," she explained, her voice echoing inside to him. "Cisco and Ray both worked on it so we could get a better look at Barry's physiology. There will be a red light passing over you a few times, try not to look right into it when it reaches your head."

He grunted in response, fighting the urge to lift his head and look. A warm sensation started at his toes and worked its way up his body slowly.

"Why does it feel warm?" he asked as the feeling crept up his chest.

"Dont worry," she called. "It's all very sciencey but i can assure you, it's perfectly safe."

He noticed the red light pass over the tip of his nose before he shut his eyes, the sensation passing over and leaving the hair on his head tingling slightly. The light passed over his body a few more times before finally settling on this forehead. With a loud hum and a slower movement, it inched along.

"Why's it moving so slow?" He asked trying not to twitch as it tingled his scalp.

"In depth craniological scan," She explained. "Try not to move."

He closed his eyes, trying to divert his attention away from the warm tingle the light was causing. After a few minutes, it passed and the red light disappeared completely. The blue hue slowly gave way to the normal white from the overhead lights as the tray slowly slid his body out of the chamber.

Caitlin stood a few feet to his left as he slid out, a deep frown on her face. Her eyes darted back and forth across the tablet screen, fingers flicking what he could only assume were his test results back and forth.

"That's not a good look," he muttered, maneuvering into a sitting position.

"But its not bad either," She answered, not looking up.

"Well give me the good news then doc," he sighed, standing up and stretching.

"Right," she said with a shake of her head. "Your heart and muscular structure are all healthy and fine, aside from your most recent injuries. Your brain scan doesn't show any lasting damage as well."

"And the bad news?"

"There are residual particles in your blood and coursing through your cerebral fluid that i can't identify," she replied biting her lip.

"What do you mean?" he asked, peeking over the tablets screen.

"I need to take a sample of your blood," she muttered, grabbing his hand and pulling him back into the medbay.

With a light push, she nudged him to sit down on the bed and grabbed a tourniquet. He lifted his arm as she wrapped it around and pulled it firmly She grabbed a pair of gloves, snapped them on and produced a needle from a drawer. With a few light taps to his arm, a vein showed itself prominently. A quick poke later, she pulled the needle free and unsnapped the tourniquet.

"Hold that," she muttured, stuffiing a cottonball overtop the needle hole and adjusting his arm.

"Here i thought i'd get to poke you," he whispered under his breath.

She either didn't hear him, or chose to ignore the comment. Instead, she took the vial of blood over to a centrifuge and inserted it into the chamber. With a few quick taps on the machine screen, it began to whir to life; spinning the vial in a small circle. She sighed and turned around to face him.

"It shouldn't take too long," she announced, walking over towards him and taking the cotton ball away. "Hopefully i can separate what's in your blood and identify it."

He grunted, as she taped a small chunk of gauze to his arm and brushed the tape down gently.

"And i heard that comment," she muttered, looking into his eyes directly.

"You did?" he laughed, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand.

She smiled and nodded, leaning in to kiss him

A loud cough and the rustle of a paper bag snapped the two to attention. Caitlin gave a small jump and turned around sharply, stepping back over to the centrifuge and hiding her mortified face. Jacob mumbled something and Joe walked over, setting the bag of food on the bed.

"Hope you like Big Belly Burger," Joe muttered, sitting a tray of drinks down and picking one out for himself. "There's some here for you as well Caitlin."

Jacob dug in, unwrapping a random sandwich and taking a big bite.

"Thanks Joe," he sighed through a mouthful of food.

"I'll be right back," Caitlin muttured, rushing from the med bay.

Joe looked from her exit to Jacob with a raised eyebrow before grabbing out a sandwich from the bag for himself and sitting back in the chair he had fallen asleep in.

"What's going on between you two?" He asked after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence.

Jacob nearly choked on a mouthful of food. He sputtered, reaching over towards the tray for a drink as Joe stared at him. Jacob took a drink, coughed a few times and avoided Joe's stare.

"Its kinda complicated," he replied scratching the back of his neck.

"Son," Joe drawled, crumpling up his empty sandwich wrapper and tossing it into the wastebasket nearby. "The entirety of this whole situation is complicated."

Jacob smiled, memories coming back to him in a good way.

"Guess you have a point there," he admitted.

Joe raised his eyebrows and spread his hands out in a do continue motion.

"When i was a kid, the Caitlin on my earth was always so kind to me. At first she was just the kind doctor lady that was always there to patch us up after a scrape, but when the teenage years hit me, things changed. There were all sorts of mixed feelings. By the time i could get my head on straight, she had become Killer Frost and went on a massive crime spree. Uncle Barry had to lock her up in the meta wing of Iron Heights and we never saw her again."

"Uncle Barry?" Joe asked laughing.

"Yea." He replied smiling. "Just like here, Barry was The Flash, the first one to hold the title at least."

"Well what's going on here?" He asked.

"Like i said, it's complicated," Jacob replied with a shrug. "She's so familiar here and those feelings are coming back. The way she looks at me, she's hard to resist."

"Alright, alright," Joe dismissed, waving his hands. "I don't need all the details. She's been through some rough stuff here, don't you mess with her head."

"Cause you'll defend her?" He asked, rolling his eyes. "I don't plan to."

"Ah hell no," Joe drawled standing up. "That girl can defend herself. You mess with her in the wrong way and shell freeze bits off of you."

"Ok thats fair," Jacob admitted, smiling.

"And don't you roll your eyes at me boy," Joe said sternly, giving jacob a squeeze on the shoulder before walking out of the medbay. "Eat your food."

"Yes sir," he muttered back, stuffing a french fry into his mouth.

Joe left the cortex and walked out into the hall chuckling to himself.


	12. Chapter 12

Rain drops tapped away on a glass pane and he sound of thunder crashed as Jacob tossed and turned on the cot in which he slept. Voices kept echoing in the dark of his mind accompanied by dancing shadows.

 _Do you remember boy?_ Came the voice, distorted and malevolent. _Do you remember what i did? The smell of blood, the taste of fear in the air? The copious amounts of sweet agony?_

A blade hummed and sang in the darkness, coming to bear on skin. He could practically taste the metallic pang of blood as he heard the blade slice through flesh.

 _Pitiful boy, foolish parents. It was easy._ The voice sneered, growing louder in his head. _Now look at you, still pitiful._

He tried to reply in anger but the words would not form. He felt as if there were two motley covered hands holding his jaw shut.

 _Did you think you could escape me?_ It taunted, laughing at him maniacally. _There's nothing you can do, no where you can go in which to escape me. I'm a part of you boy._ A second of silence passed before the slicing of steel was heard and felt on his own skin. Prometheus laughter became louder as his mask appeared before his eyes, menacingly.

Jacob sat bolt upright, flinging the covers off of his body and sending them flying to the wall. He smacked a square on the stand beside him and the lights slowly brightened. His shirt and shorts were coated in sweat, sticking to his body. He swung his legs over the side of the cot and put his head in his hands. With a sigh, he rubbed his eyes, trying to dislodge the image from his brain. He ran his hands through his hair, finding it damp and with a final shake of his head, he stood up; his eyes adjusting to the light as he opened them and walked towards a small shower in the corner. He reached for the shower knob, a small squeak breaking the silence in the room before the constant sound of water flowing echoed around. Tugging off his shorts and damp shirt, he stepped into the enclosure, sliding the plastic curtain closed. Steam began to build up around him and his skin started to turn pink as he tried to scrub the night terror from his mind. He gave up after a few minutes, instead letting the hot water rain down on his face as he rubbed his eyes.

* * *

The door to the room slid open, barely making a sound. The sound of high heeled boots rose higher as the the wearer stepped inside. Killer Frost strutted inside and seeing Jacobs outline through the shower curtain, smiled mischievously. She slowly unzipped the light blue jacket she wore, setting it down on the chair gently. As quietly as she could, she took off her high heeled boots and began to strip off the rest of her clothes. Jacob still stood underneath the steaming jet of water as she padded over to the shower. She slid the curtain open slowly and quietly enough to step into it behind him. Before he could turn around, she slid her arms around his shoulders, pressing her bare breasts to his back.

"Looking a bit hot there," she breathed in his ear seductively.

He sighed in pleasure, reaching behind him to run his hands down her thighs. She pressed closer to him, moaning quietly in his ear as she ran her fingers through his hair. He turned around, causing the water spray to splash her face and soak her hair. As he turned, his member brushed against her upper thigh. She laced her fingers through his hair and pulled his face to hers, kissing him deeply. Their tongues intertwined as she ground against him, feeling the throb of him rise higher against her waist. With a gasp, they broke apart.

"You make me melt," she breathed in her icy voice with a wink.

Her pale white hair began to darken in color, slowly receding completely to Caitlins chestnut brown. Her skin began to take on a pink hue, both from the transition between her alter ego and from the heat of the water. She blinked a few times, her eyes losing their electric blue glow and becoming their normal brown. Her eyes widened for a second before she used her handhold on his hair to pull him back into another savage kiss.

He broke away trailing his lips and tongue down her neck before stopping just above her breast. She moaned deeply, her chest heaving as if to offer her breasts to him. He grinned, slowly moving down till he hovered above her nipple. She could feel his hot breath on her cool skin, causing her to squirm in anticipation. He gently kissed her nipple before savagely attacking it, taking it into his mouth and sucking on it. He nibbled on it gently, causing her whole body to shake with pleasure. A gasp of pleasure broke forth from her mouth as she caressed his member with her thighs. He broke away from her breast, grabbing them both roughly with his hands and squeezing as he attacked her ruby lips again. She moaned into his kiss, rocking her hips back and forth; the dampness between her legs causing a pleasurable glide for his member between her thighs. He grabbed her hands by the wrist and pinned them to the wall of the shower. She let out a gasp of surprise as he descended down her stomach to her glistening wet mound, giving it a kiss before burying his face at her entrance.

* * *

The water chose the most opportune time to suddenly shift to freezing cold, snapping Jacob out of his lust filled daydream. With a disgruntled sigh, he turned the knob and shut the water off. He reached around for a towel, wrapping it around his waist before stepping out and grabbing another one for his upper body.

He padded over to the secondary cot where a pile of clothes lay folded for him and picked up the sweatshirt on top. Unfolding it, he found the Star Labs logo emblazoned on the front in white letters against an all black background. He tossed it aside with a small smile, instead flipping a shirt off of the folded pair of pants and holding them up. With a shrug to himself, he let the towel fall from his waist and pulled the pants on. _Close enough_ , he thought picking the shirt back up and pulling it on. He flung the two wet towels over a railing by the shower and looked around the room. In a few seconds he gathered up all the belongings he had.

He sat down on the edge of the cot, pulling both old photographs from his wallet and staring at them. Laurel and Oliver from his earth, smiled back at him while a childhood version of himself grinned a cheesy grin from between them. He could remember that day perfectly as it played out in his mind.

 _The photograph had been taken on his new birthday, with Laurel and Oliver taking him on a picnic to celebrate. Laurel had been cooking all morning for it, the smell of fresh bread and a perfectly roasted chicken wafted from the basket she carried in one hand. In her other hand, she held Olivers hand. A very young Jacob walked slightly behind Laurel and on the side of the picnic basket._

" _How about up there by that tree?" Oliver asked Jacob, point up ahead of them._

" _Sure," Jacob muttered with a shrug, continuing behind them._

 _Oliver produced a very loud red blanket from the basket and unfolded it with a flourish, gaining a small smile from Jacob as he laid it out in the grass. Laurel began pulling containers of food from the basket and set them down. With a groan, she searched the empty bottom of the basket._

" _I forgot to bring utensils." she sighed._

" _That's alright hun," Oliver laughed, opening a square container of grapes and plucking one out with his fingers. "We don't need them anyway."_

 _She opened her mouth to say something but stopped, shaking her head at him. Oliver looked to where Jacob was sitting, plucked another grape from the container and lightly tossed it at him. It bounced off of young Jacobs head and rolled around on the blanket. Jacob quickly snatched it up and tossed it back at Oliver, who caught it in turn, ate it and winked at Jacob. Laurel just sat back and watched the two, a laughing bubbling up to her face._

" _Really you two?" She asked, giggling as Jacob reached for another one and readied it to throw._

" _He started it," Jacob replied, a smile creeping to his face now._

 _Oliver laughed a loud hearty laugh, dodged the incoming grape and gave Laurel a big kiss. Jacob turned away and spotted Moira Queen walking towards them, a camera in one hand and waving with the other. She rushed over towards them, almost breathless when she sat made it._

" _I just have to have a picture of my new grandson," She gushed, pulling Jacob into a warm hug. "The first of many i'm hoping?"_

 _He grinned and gave her an affectionate squeeze._

" _Pictures or grandchildren?" Oliver asked laughing._

" _Why not both?"_

" _Well see Moira," Laurel laughed, tossing her hair._

" _How about a picture of all three of you?" She asked, letting Jacob go._

 _Laurel reached out for Jacob, pulling him close to her and rustling his hair._

" _My little blackbird," She cooed, sitting him between her and Oliver. "Smile wide for your grandma."_

 _Oliver wrapped his arm around Laurel, pulling both of them closer. Moira counted down, holding up the camera. The bulb flashed, causing Jacob to rub his eyes as Laurel and Oliver kissed again over top his head. Jacob looked up, reached for a grape and threw it playfully at Oliver. It bounced off his cheek, causing Laurel to bust out laughing. Moira pulled the photograph from the camera, waving it in the air for a few minutes before handing it to Jacob._

" _My family." he whispered, looking down at it._

A teardrop fell down his cheek and landed on the worn photograph. He sighed and wiped it away before running the back of his hand across his face.

He shifted his gaze to the second photograph, his mind being plunged back again.

 _Jacob and Thea stood infront of Ray Palmer, hand in hand. They had just concluded the wedding ceremony, the crowds excitement filled cheer still ringing throughout the air. Flower petals rained down as small bursts of electricity, light and one oddly placed line of flame danced in the air above their heads. A photographer rushed through the crowd, coming up in front of them. He began setting up an old style tripod, screwing in his camera and motioned for Ray to step out of the background. Ray nodded and stepped aside. With a wave of his hand, the photographer got the couple attention, pointed at the lens and hit a button. Another bright flash left them rubbing their eyes and laughing. Jacob reached up, placed his hand on Thea's cheek and kissed her passionately. The photographer snapped another picture before unscrewing the camera and disappearing into the crowd as another roar of cheering broke out. You could barely hear anything over the sound._

" _I love you," he whispered in her ear._

" _Forever," she replied._

He flipped the photograph over and below the description there was another word written in a different hand. Forever.

With a shake of his head and a small cough to clear his throat, he tried to refocus. _It's time,_ he thought to himself, picking up the device Harry had given him the day before. He carefully placed the photographs back inside his wallet, the wallet inside his pants and stood up. Taking one last look around the room, he grabbed his shoes, tied them on and walked out of the room.

 _You could stay,_ Caitlins voice whispered inside his head. _You don't have to do this to yourself._

"Yes i do," He whispered out loud, walking away from the room and Star Labs.


	13. Chapter 13

Jacobs breath formed small grey clouds in front of him as stood in the cold open nights air. The trees moaned and the leaves shuddered as the wind gently waltzed through the clearing. He held Harry's device in his hand outstretched in front of him, staring at it. With one last firm shake of his head, he pressed the button on he side, causing a small green light to begin brightening. He waited for a few minutes, with nothing happening. Suddenly a strange haze started to form in the sky, accompanied by a bright flash of orange light. A futuristicaly built ship suddenly materialized in the sky, heat trails coming off of the bright orange engines before descending towards him. With a set of metallic clangs, The Waverider landed a few yards in front of him. He smiled and deposited the device into his pocket before rushing to where he remembered the cargo bay door to be.

* * *

The Waverider. Temporal Zone.

Sarah Lance lay in her quarters, tossing in her sleep. The sheets were tangled around her as she thrashed back and forth. A low beeping tone slowly started sounding, becoming louder the longer it went. She awoke with a groan, sitting up and brushing the long blonde hair from her face.

"What is it Gideon?" She asked out loud, rubbing her eyes.

"Apologies Captain Lance," Came a womans computerized voice. "I've picked up a temporal distress beacon coming from Central City in the year 2017. I've plotted a course and am awaiting your orders."

"Alright," Sara groaned, tossing aside the covers and pulling open a dresser drawer for a set of clothes. "Wake the others and have them meet me on the bridge, double time."

"Right away Captain."

She pulled on a black long sleeved shirt and a pair of pants quickly over her limited sleeping attire and touched the door panel. With a hum, the door slid open and she padded to the bridge barefoot. She passed Professor Stein's quarters on her way up, hearing him humming something to himself as she doors slid open.

"Ahh Miss Lance," he started once seeing her, giving her a quick smile. "Gideon mentioned something about a temporal beacon?"

"From Central City," she affirmed. "2017."

"Do you think…" he trailed off.

"I'm sure Lilly and Clarissa are fine Martin," she assured him, hustling forward.

She padded onto the bridge, finding Ray Palmer standing at the center console. He looked up with a smile and a chipper air about him as soon as he saw Sara.

"Morning Captain!" he waved cheerily. "At least i think its morning, kinda hard to tell in the temporal zone."

"Ray, i just woke up." She grumbled at him. "Take it down a notch."

"Right," he replied, taking a breath.

Nate and Amaya walked in, hand in hand and smiling to each other. Jax crept in from the other side of the bridge, wiping the sleep out of his eyes.

"What's going on?" Nate asked strolling up to the center.

"I was about to ask that exact question," Ray perked in.

"Gideon?" Sara asked, laying her head against the console.

"I've detected a temporal distress beacon coming from Central City in the year 2017." Came the ships feminine voice.

"From who?" Nate asked, looking around confused.

"Gideon are Lilly and Clarissa…"

"Both are at home and perfectly fine, Professor." she assured, causing him to sigh in relief. "I cannot distinguish exactly who sent the message but i have determined the exact coordinates for the source of the signal and have a course prepared."

"Alright people," Sara groaned, standing up and brushing her hair back into place. "Strap in."

Hums of acknowledgement sounded as they all took their seats. Sara paused a second, looking around and frowning.

"Wheres Mick?" She asked.

"Probably still in bed," Jax muttured, chuckling.

Sara sighed, rolling her eyes before taking her seat at the Captain's chair.

"Shouldn't someone go and wake him?" Amaya asked, undoing her safety harness.

"Nope," Sara answered, taping the controls in front of her before grabbing the throttle lever on her right. "This'll teach him."

With a grin on her face, she forced the lever forwards. The whole ship shook for a second before lurching into motion.

Mick stirred in his bunk, opened his eyes for a second before grunting and going back to sleep.

* * *

Central City, 2017

Jacob touched the cold metal paneling of the ship with the palm of his hand, searching for the activation panel. Rain started to fall, causing his hand to slightly glide. After a few minutes of searching, his hand humped a catch and a small illuminated panel light up; numbers ranging from 0 to 9 displayed. He grinned to himself, a line of water dripping down his face. With a quick tap of the keys, he entered a string of numbers. 05142155. The keys flashed green and the cargo bay door released swinging open. He wiped the rain way from his face before dashing inside.

The cargo bay was littered with dozens of metallic crates and scattered containers. Jacob looked around, seeing one was open, and stopped for a second to check it out. Inside were all sorts of random objects, none that seemed important. He headed for the stairs to the next level but froze as soon as he saw a shadow descending, accompanied by voices. With a quick slide, he ducked behind a larger stack of crates, making sure to not be seen.

"Dude, you've gotta try it just once," Came a mans voice with a laugh.

"I really dont think that would be a good idea," came a second in reponse.

"Really Ray?" The first shot back. "Have i ever lead you wrong?"

"Do i have to remind you about Feudal Japan?" The second, Ray, argued.

"Man, that was one time!"

A hearty laugh broke out from the two before they stepped down into the cargo bay and froze upon seeing the open door. The first man touched his ear, a small chirp sounding.

"Uh, Sara?" The first man started. "Think we have a problem."

Before Jacob could hear a response, Ray was already talking.

"The cargo bay door is open." he announced, confused.

Another second of silence happened before the first started laughing.

"Dont worry bro," he chuckled, punching Ray in the arm. "I can always Steel up and save your butt, again."

Jacob could practically hear Ray roll his eyes as the two walked down the cargo bay ramp and out into the rain, still arguing about something. He peaked up over the top of the crate he hid behind, seeing no one else. With a quick jump, he bolted for the stairs up to the next level, slowing only long enough to peer around a corner. After a few paces, he came to a split corridor; one path led left, one right. After a second of deliberation, he proceeded down the corridor on the right. He made it a few more paces, passing a door on his right before he heard footsteps again coming towards him. Thinking quickly, he doubled back to the door he passed and tapped in the same security override code into the doors controller. The room was completely dark and he couldn't see a thing inside, choosing to duck inside anyway and shut the door. He heard the footsteps come closer, hesitating outside the door for a few seconds before continuing past and down the corridor. He waited a few seconds, listening intently at the door. Hearing nothing more, he tapped the pad to open the door only to find something in his way. He peered into the dark, trying to see what the leathery feel was when an orange light shattered the darkness, causing his eyes to spasm. He shook his head and closed his eyes, opening them right in time to see a gloved fist smash into the side of his head. Jacob groaned, hitting the metal floor with an audible thud before losing consciousness.

The fists owner tapped the light pad, causing the lights to flicker on and illuminate the room. The man looked down at the crumpled heap before tapping his ear with a finger.

"Boss," the man grunted in a gravelly voice.

"Well good morning Sunshine!" Sara answered sarcastically. "Nice of you to wake up and join us."

"Seems we have an intruder," he grunted again, poking at Jacobs body with his foot.

"What?" she asked, panicking slightly. "Where?!"

"My quarters."

Sara started to jog, hair bouncing around her shoulders as she hustled her way down the corridor.

"Im on my way," she grunted firmly. "And Mick, put on some clothes."

Mick looked down at his naked torso, grunted a reply and shuffled around for his pants.

Sara rushed down the corridor, hair flying behind her as she did. With padded to a stop right outside Micks door before reaching towards the control. She hesitated, pulling her hand back and touching her ear to activate her coms a

"Mick, i swear you better at least have pants on." She called shutting her eyes.

The door slid open in response. Sara slowly opened one eye to see the intruders body laying in a crumpled heap on the floor of Micks quarters. Thankfully Mick sat on a chair a few feet away, fully dressed.

"Who the hell?" she muttered to herself as she knelt down and lightly touched the man's neck, looking for a pulse. "He's still alive."

"I need a beer." Mick grumbled, standing up and leaving the room.

Sara rolled her eyes in response, tapping her ear to activate her coms.

"Ray, Nate," she called, standing up. "I need you in Micks quarters now."

"Whats up Captain?" Nates voice crackled.

"Just get up here," she asserted, staring over Jacobs body.

"On our way," Rays cheery voice piped up.

"Jax?" She called, patting down the body in search of identification.

"Go ahead Sara," Jeffersons voice came.

"Lock down the Waverider once Ray and Nate are back on board."

"You got it."

Nate and Ray walked up, both laughing about something before stopping right behind Sara and whistling.

"Who's this?" Nate asked, tilting his head to look around Sara.

"I see Micks awake finally," Ray joked, kneeling down.

Sara rolled the body over on its side, motioning for Ray to hold him. She dug through his pockets, tossing Nate a small electronic device and pulling a wallet out of another. She flipped it open and started digging through it at Ray gently let the body settle on its back. She pulled two weathered photographs out of the billfold and handed the rest of the wallet to Ray. She froze upon recognizing two of the faces staring back up at her. Nate knelt down to look at her, seeing her face completely pale and screwed up in disbelief.

"You alright?" He asked, touching her shoulder gently.

"No." She whispered, standing up and recoiling from his touch. "Get him to the medbay. I want answers."

"What? Why?" Ray asked looking up in confusion.

"Medbay. Now." She barked, walking off in the direction of the bridge before they could say anything in response.

She stormed onto the bridge, rushing through it furiously and tossing the two photographs on the table inside the Captain's Den.

"Gideon!" She shouted at the screen in the wall. "I need you to scan these and tell me if they've been faked."

"Right away Captain." Echoed Gideons electronic voice.

The thin white light arched down from the ceiling and danced over the two photographs on the table, with a digital representation appearing on the screen in front of Sara. A few seconds passed as Sara paced back and forth in frustration.

"Analysis Complete Captain Lance." Gideon announced. "I've identified the people in them as Laurel Lance, Oliver Queen and Thea Queen."

"I can see that much Gideon," Sara grumbled, continuing her pacing.

"The photograph is not a fake. The first was taken outside of the Queen mansion in Star City. The second is not as clear. I can match the surroundings to an abandoned hangar here in Central City, once owned by Harrison Wells and now belonging to Barry Allen."

"What?" She asked in confusion. "How is that possible?"

"Unclear. I scanned the carbon decay in both the ink and the paper, my analysis determines the first to be around ten to twelve years old. The second is a few days old at most."

"Whos the child and whos the man next to Thea?" She asked, frowning and gazing at the digital representations. "They look related, almost as if…"

"You are correct Captain," Gideon chimed in. "They are the same person." A comparison showed up on screen, enlarging the child's face and the mans with Gideon digitally aging the childs to match the mans.

"But who is he?" she asked again.

"Unknown. I've scanned both the child's likeness and the adults against every known picture in history. There is no match."

"That doesn't make any sense Gideon. Especially in today's age." She muttered, folding her arms over her chest and pacing again. "Have Ray and Nate made it to the medbay with him yet?"

"Affirmative Captain. Doctor Palmer just finished hooking up a sedative."

"Good," she mumbled. "I need you to check any and all surveillance footage for our visitors likeness.

"As you wish Captain."

"I'm heading to the medbay. I want to be there the minute this guy wakes up."

She turned abruptly, heading out of the captain's den. She stopped a few paces away before turning around and snatching up the two photographs, taking them with her.

* * *

The medbay.

"Who do you think he is?" Nate asked, nodding to the man secured to the analysis chair.

"Jacob Lance," Ray read, flipping over a security badge from the mans wallet.

"Lance?" Nate asked astonished, turning towards Ray and snatching up the card. "As in related to Sara?"

"Must be," Ray guessed, taking out a few more cards from the wallet. "That card says Star Labs, but the symbol is all wrong, not to mention the security number."

"That's odd." Nate muttered, flipping the card over a few times. "Gideon, does Sara have any relatives or family members other than Laurel and their dad?"

"Negative Doctor Haywood." Gideon announced.

"Weird," Nate muttered again. "Aberration maybe?"

"I doubt it," Ray replied. "Sara knows better than anyone the cost of changing the timeline. My money's on alternate earth."

"Really?"

"Is that so strange? You've met Supergirl."

"Well yea, but he doesn't exactly look like an alien."

The two squabbled back and forth for a few minutes before Sara trudged in, shutting them up with a look. She walked over a few feet from the chair Jacob sat strapped to and stared at him. Nate and Ray exchanged a look, set the wallet down and left the medbay without another word. Sara, looked over at the wallet before angrily walking over and snatching it up. She pulled out the same cards that Ray and Nate were looking at, freezing as soon as she read the name. With a quiet thud, she dropped the wallet on the cold floor, staring at the last name on the mans security card. She flipped over the picture of Thea and read the last name on the back of it.

Lance...What the hell? She thought to herself.

She slammed down the items on a table, padding over to the door and tapping the control to lock it.

"Gideon!" She shouted.

"Yes Captain?" Came Gideons digital voice in response.

"I need you to wake him up, now."

"I can," She paused, a reading of the man's vital signs showing on a panel beside him flashed. "Although with his current injuries, i don't suggest it.

Sara hesitated before looking over to where the photographs lay on the table.

"Do it anyway." She commanded, stepping closer.

"As you wish," she quipped, almost sounding snarky.

A few moments passed before anything happened. Sara looked from the mans face to the screen beside him, noticing his heartbeat increasing before she finally heard a small groan. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking a few times before groaning again.

He tried to sit up, only to find his wrists and ankles restrained. He blinked a few more times, looking around the room and then down to his feet.

"Im getting real tired of waking up in an infirmary," He muttered to himself before looking up at Sara.

"I need you to answer my questions," She commanded, glaring at him threateningly.

"Only if you answer mine first," he laughed, causing her to blink and glare harder. "Who hit me?"

"Mick, you were in his quarters. Be glad the lights were off, he tends to sleep naked."

"Of course," he groaned and shuddered.

"Now, answer me, who are you, where are you from and why do you have a picture of my sister and a good friend of mine?

He sighed, took a deep breath and launched into an explanation.

* * *

A few hours later

"Ok, let me get this straight." Sara sighed, pacing back and forth in front of him. "You're my nephew?"

"By adoption, yes." he sighed tiredly.

"I believe the correct term would be, Step-Aunt," Gideon chimed in. Jacob nodded in agreement.

"Ok ok," Sara groaned, shaking her head. "And your from…"

"Another earth, yes," He groaned, shaking his head. "This is the third time ive had to explain this, i should really get a recording or something…"

"Would you like me to make an audio recording for you, Mr Lance?" Gideon asked.

"No, Gideon, dont do that," Sara sighed as Jacob cracked a grin.

"Please Gideon, just Jacob." He laughed.

"As you wish."

"Third time?" Sara asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Yea, kinda had to do some explaining when you end up bloody and scaring the crap out of Felicity. Oliver did not fully buy it."

"No surprise there," Sara muttered in agreement. "And you came here because?"

"Well for two reasons. One, i wanted to see you, see if you were like the Sara i knew, and two, because i want you to train me."

"Let me guess, Oliver said no," she asked rolling her eyes. "Just like with Laurel."

"I believe his exact words were 'well talk about it later',"

"Which is Oliver for, no" They both finished at the same time.

Jacob laughed and smiled happily, causing Sara to crack a grin.

"Why do you want to fight so badly?" She asked genuinely.

"Because," he sighed and took a breath. "For years, i watched as you, Laurel, Oliver, everyone in my family fight for what was right, for those who couldn't. Now i'm here, in a world where those i love are alive and i have the chance to do the same. If she were still alive, i know she would be out there as well. I refuse to sit by any longer. I want to honor their sacrifice, i want to honor your Laurels memory here."

Sara paused, looking him over. She could see the truth of his words in his eyes and she believed him. She smiled stepping forward and touching his hand.

"You know," she muttered, looking him directly in the eyes. "I see a lot of both Laurel and Ollie in you. I know she would be proud of you."

He opened his mouth to say something, instead giving her hand an affectionate squeeze and turning away. She could see a tear slowly roll down his cheek in the reflection before he wiped it away and coughed.

"Well start tomorrow," she said through a grin, heading for the door control. "Gideon, make sure he's taken care of."

"Yes Captain."

"Sara," Jacob called before she could open the door. "Thank you."

"Dont thank me yet kid," She replied without turning around before tapping the door control and leaving the medbay.

She was barely a step through the door when she all but ran into both Ray and Nate, each standing up and trying to act non chalant.

"Really guys?" she asked shaking her head.

"We were just.." Ray started before coughing and just smiling.

"Ray, she's not buying it." Nate finished.

She laughed and started walking away. Nate and Ray both tried to walk through the medbay door at the same time before it slid shut in their faces.

"Let him be," Came Saras voice from down the corridor.

Nate gave Ray a slight shove, before the two started bickering again.

"See, i was right, Alternate earth. Time to pay up." Ray laughed playfully shoving Nate back.

"Dude no way, we didnt actually bet." Nate shot back.

The two continued arguing back and forth as they walked away from the medbay.

Jacob laid back with a sigh. Soon. he thought to himself before he felt another dose of sedative coursing through the tube attached to his arm. His vision started to waver, getting blurry as he closed his eyes and fell into unconsciousness.


	14. Shēngcún

The same nightmare flashed before him again as he slept. The coppery taste of blood, the ringing of metal, the pain of parting flesh. All while Prometheus taunted him.

 _You won't last_ , came the distorted rambling. _You're not strong enough, never will be._

Jacob tried to ignore the voice, but it was futile. No matter what he did, it wouldn't stop.

 _Sara and Oliver were, and are, better than you'll ever be. Laurel was a trained detective, skilled in combat by an Assassin and a gymnast. What hope do you think you'll have? Pitiful child._

A strange presence crept closer, enveloping him in warmth and slowly pushing away the terror of Prometheus.

 _Your mind goes to such dark places,_ came a new voice, this time feminine and familiar.

 _Gideon?_ He asked as he felt his own mind being pulled from the darkness, watching Prometheus presence slowly drift away.

 _Pardon the intrusion, you intrigued me so i downloaded your mind into my mainframe. Your body still sits in the medbay as i repair the damage you've sustained._

 _Oh,_ he thought surprised. _Well thank you._

 _You're most welcome._ He could feel her sincerity as he drifted around in silence.

 _Gideon, can i ask you a question?_ He thought, hoping.

 _I believe you just did._

He laughed, she had the same sense of humor. To a normal person, that might be strange considering she was an artificial intelligence.

 _Well another then. Are you just as beautiful?_

There was a pause, silence crept back. After a few minutes, lights started to dance around in the black before a feminine form started to appear, a skeleton at first, then slowly a circulatory system began forming. Slowly a complete human image appeared, clothed in elegant silk.

Her brown hair fell to her shoulders in ringlets, giving contrast against her pale milky skin. She smiled in a tight british way before giving a little spin. The dark silks danced out from her skin in waves before settling back to her body as she stopped. Her eyes sparkled brilliantly as she stared at him.

 _You are._ He thought before rushing forwards to hug her tightly.

 _How did you…..Right. I can see from your memories that you had a Gideon on your earth. We were…..friends?_

 _Can you see all my memories?_ He asked, letting her go and taking a step back.

An image crept up beside them. A young boy stood with a tall man dressed in a brown leather duster in an empty field. The man held up a small square with a button on it, pressed the button and a large familiar ship materialized in front of them. The boy gasped and laughed delightfully. The man smiled and headed for the opening door, waving to the young boy to join him.

The image shook and changed. This time the boy was slightly older, the man looked exactly the same. The pair sat in a room, clearly aboard the ship, with a melody of tools scattered around them. A large box sat between the two, wires coming out of it, several tubes filled with fluorescent liquid lead from the walls to it.

"What'll she look like?" The young boy asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," The man replied in a british accent. "Whatever she chooses i suppose."

The lights in the room flickered and a startling bright light shit up from the box, sending the two stumbling back a few steps. A head appeared in the light and smiled. The man clapped his hands together before gripping the young man on the shoulder.

"Jacob, I'd like you to meet Gideon." He said with a wave of his opposing hand.

"Hello, Gideon." The young boy said with a wave to the floating head.

The head smiled and turned to look at the boy.

"Hello, Jacob," the head spoke in a feminine voice, slightly digitized before turning to the man. "Captain Hunter, i do believe you've done it."

The image melted away and blurred before being replaced by another. This time the young boy was even older, resembling a young man in his teens. The older man still looked the same, but this time he sat reclined in a chair asleep, his brown overcoat dangling from a hook on the wall. The young man and the head were whispering to each other.

"I think i figured it out this time," the young man whispered, holding up a small circuit board and what looked like a crystal lens.

"Ill run a diagnostic right away," the head replied smiling.

The young man plugged the circuit board into a panel on the wall, sliding it shut and taking a step back. He climbed up on a ladder a few paces away, unscrewed something from the ceiling and attached the lens.

"Try it now Gideon," the young man whispered.

The lights dimmed before the lens flared with a white light, casting a cone down to the floor. Whirling static filled the cone with a screech before it disappeared and a woman stood inside the light. She lifted her head, shaking her brown ringlets around her shoulders and flashed a tight smile.

"Jacob…" came the woman's voice, this time sounding natural and not the least bit digital.

"You're beautiful…" The young man whispered in awe.

The young man grinned, running over to the man sleeping in the chair and shook him. The older man woke up groaning, opening his eyes and froze upon seeing the woman standing in the light.

"Jacob….youve….." The man gasped, standing up and hesitantly walking forward. He reached out with his hand, the woman reaching to meet it as the light followed her movement. His hand passed through the light.

"Almost, Rip." The woman said, smiling sadly.

The man turned, and hugged the teenager tightly.

"Jacob my boy," he breathed, a tear falling down his cheek. "You've done it."

"Its not quite there yet, Rip," The teenager replied, hugging him back. "I think i can…"

The images faded away, leaving the current form of Jacob and Gideon standing in darkness again.

 _I can._ She paused before pulling him close to her and returning the tight hug.

 _Im sorry. I've scanned your entire life. I do believe my doppelganger was there to comfort you, i will try to do the same._

Images began to flash in the darkness around them. His biological parents ghastly murder. Ted Kords funeral. The night Star Labs exploded. Wallys funeral. Jacob talking to Harrison Wells the night before he died. More funerals flashed by. An image of a red and black suit emblazoned with a bright yellow R flashed and then vanished into a bright ball of fire. A brightly lit cityscape of all glass flashed by before a dark black wave crushed it, the sound of glass shattering and water rushing. The dimly lit room with a hospital bed in it, a young man laying in bed, the sound of a heart monitor beeping in a slow pattern before flatlining and a hand laying a red arrow down on the mans chest.

 _It wasnt your fault_ , Gideon whispered while stroking his hair. _You didnt cause the events that took them._

 _It may not have been my hands,_ Jacob replied grimly. _But i sat idly by. I did nothing, and i am ashamed._

Gideon squeezed him tightly.

 _Its time_ , she whispered, an image of Sara walking towards the medbay popped up. _Your body has been completely healed._

He slowly let go of Gideon and nodded.

 _Thank you, Gideon. You've always been there._

She moved closer to him, standing up on her toes and kissed his forehead gently.

 _I always will_ , she replied with a wink before disappearing in a wave of pixels.

* * *

Sara gently shook Jacobs arm, causing his eyes to flutter open. He groaned as he sat up. With a gentle tug, Sara removed the medical attachment from his arm and helped him stand. He stretched, joints popping. Sara stifled a laugh as she gave him a playful shove towards the door. He stumbled at first before taking another step and managing to stay on his feet. They walked down a corridor silently before they came to an open bay where the jumpship sat.

"Where are we going?" Jacob asked as she swung open the door.

"You'll see," she answered firmly, brushing past him and stepping inside.

She took a seat at the controls and began tapping away, moving a few levers and knobs before turning around.

"Strap in," She commanded, motioning towards the row of empty seats.

 _Good luck, Jacob._ Came Gideons electronic voice in his head as the door swung shut. He smiled and sat down, strapping a harness around his chest.

The jumpship shuddered to life, launching up from the Waverider and out into the temporal zone. With a bright white flash, they lurched forwards and appeared in what looked like a series of clouds. Sara smiled, tapped a few controls and undid her harness.

"We're here," she announced, standing up and walking past him to the rear of the ship. She smacked a button on the wall and the rear hatch opened and split into two pieces, the top folding up to meat the ceiling and the bottom leaning slightly down.

"Where are we? When are we?" he asked undoing his own harness and standing up.

"Come see," she called, waving him over, the wind blowing inside the ship and tossing her hair around.

He carefully made his way over to her, gripping a handle on the side of the wall.

"Lian Yu," she announced, pointing into the distance at a series of islands. "It means…."

"Purgatory," he finished, all but having to yell over the howling wind. "I know, my Oliver told me about this place."

"Just remember," she yelled, taking a step back. "Shēngcún!"

He paused, a look of confusion spreading across his face.

"What does that mean?" He asked turning around.

She smiled a very cunning smile.

"Survive."

In a quick movement, she rushed forwards and shoved him out the open hatch, watching him flail around in the air as he fell.

* * *

Jacob crashed into the water a few seconds later, the fall knocking the air from his lungs and stunning him. The salt water stung his eyes as he stared up into the sky in disbelief. He could feel the cold start seeping into his bones as he plunged farther into the depths. A rolling wave scooped him up and tossed him around, causing him to lose his sense of direction. He continued to fall into the darkness, his vision slowly starting to fade. His brain started to spasm, voice filling it. Memories started to come back to him as he slowly started to drown.

 _John Diggle and a young Jacob sat on a bobbing speedboat, Oliver and Roy swam nearby, laughing and waving to the two on the boat._

 _"Remember," John counseled Jacob, putting a reassuring arm around his shoulders. "The water might be cold, what do you do?"_

 _"Keep a calm head?" Young Jacob asked._

 _"You got it," John laughed. "Then what?"_

 _"Make it to the surface."_

 _"And if you get tussled in a wave?"_

 _"Look for the brightest light?," Jacob guessed, gazing out at the water and thinking._

 _"And if its dark?"_

 _"Exhale a tiny bit and watch which way the air bubbles go. But Uncle John?" Jacob asked pausing. "What if you cant exhale?"_

Jacob snapped out of his own head, turning his head and looking for any semblance of light. With serious effort, he tightened his body and began clawing his way towards the surface. His lungs began to scream for oxygen inside his chest as he moved closer to the brightness. He broke the surface, gasping for air as he fought against the impending unconsciousness.

 _"What do you do next?" John asked._

 _"Try to stay afloat, keep breathing." Jacob replied._

 _"If there's nothing to hold onto," John continued. "Remember that trick with your pants."_

Jacob began fiddling with his belt, trying to undo the clasp while his head recovered from the panic. After a few seconds of fumbling, he managed to release it, slid them over his shoes and pulled them to the surface. As quickly as he could while kicking, he tied the legs into a square knot and tugged on them. He took a deep breath, grabbing around the waistline and flipped them up in the air and back down into the water, making an air pocket start to appear. He did it again, making a larger pocket. After a few more flips, he tied the waist as firmly as he could. The added buoyancy caused him to float a little higher in the water, taking the strain away from his legs. He tried to focus, breathing as evenly as possible in the freezing water.

" _You ready?" John asked, standing up._

 _"I think so…" Jacob muttured as Oliver swam over._

 _"Come on kiddo," Oliver laughed motioning for Jacob to jump in. "You've got this."_

 _He looked from Oliver to John, john giving him a nod and a reassuring smile. He stood up, took a deep breath, and jumped off the boat,_

Jacob opened his eyes and looked up, Lian Yu loomed in front of him. He took a breath and began paddling towards the shore, hoping to Rao he didn't come across a shark in the distance.

* * *

The improvised floatation device completely ran out of air before he managed to make it the whole way to shore. Being overcome by exhaustion, he couldn't untie the knot to inflate it, instead he took a deep breath and floated on his back, letting the current carry him in to the shore. He bobbed and surged forward on the waves, the sun beating down on his face and arms as he did.

After what felt like an eternity, he bumped into a rock formation. With a groan and forced effort, he managed to turn over. He looked up, seeing the rocks that he met were only a few feet from the shore. He gave one last push with his arms, floating into the shallows. Crawling onto the sand, he pulled his body forward before collapsing far enough in land that the water barely reached his feet. He took a breath and rested a moment, looking up and the tall trees casting shade above him. Exhaustion overtook him again and his vision faded to black.

The sun beating down on his face brought him back to consciousness. He sat up, feeling extremely warm and finding his clothes completely dry aside from his backside. With a grunt and protestation from his muscles, he undid the knots in his pants and slowly pulled them back onto his torso. He stood up, leaning against a tree whenever he faltered before regaining his balance. A few feet away he noticed a shiny folded wad stabbed through by what looked like a survival knife. He could very vaguely remember the sound of footsteps approaching him and the sound of metal hitting sand while he was unconscious. He gingerly bent down, pulling the knife up from the sand and unfolding the folded mess. Looking over the knife handle, he saw there was a small compass embedded in the base. It unfolded in 8 gridded squares, revealing itself to be a map of the island. A large red circle stood out, with words scribbled just off from it.

Get there before sunset. Wolves. It read in feminine scrawl.

He looked around the beachfront, looking for a higher point to get his bearings. A large rock formation sat a few yards from him. With more muscular protestation, he tucked the map into his waistband and made his way over; his feet squishing in the waterlogged shoes as he walked. He climbed as high as he could, resting on a flat outcrop and pulled out the map again, taking note of the major landmarks he could see and consulting the compass. After a few minutes, he had an idea of where the circle was indicating and stowed the items; climbing back down carefully. When he reached the bottom, he noticed a dark object seemingly floating above the sand a few feet away. He walked over to it, finding it to be a very sun bleached mask of sorts with a broken arrow shoved through the only eye hole. With a dismissive shrug, he headed in the direction he determined from the map.

* * *

He trudged through the trees, stopping every so often to make sure he was still heading in the same direction. After what felt like hours, he came across a worn path. Without thinking, he continued down the path, pausing when he heard a sharp snap of a branch. He froze, hair on the back of his neck standing on end. The whistling of something flying through the air caused him to turn, right as a spiked log came hurtling towards him. Sluggishly, he managed to turn partly away. The log caught him in the upper shoulder, sending him spinning into the dirt with excruciating stabbing pain in his shoulder. He laid there for a second, stunned and unsure if the log was swinging back down towards him. Endless seconds whisked by before a louder thud signalled the log falling to the ground and rolling farther down the path. With a goan, he tried to roll over, gaining increased stabbing pain that radiated down his shoulder. He could feel it sparking inside of his finger tips. With one painful push, he rolled over onto his back and looked at his shoulder, finding a small wooden spike protruding from it; blood began to ooze from the wound. He brought his opposite hand up to remove it, causing a massive pain spike to spread as soon as he touched it.

 _You'll bleed out if you pull that, came Caitlin's voice._

He shook his head and blinked a few times before looking up. Caitlin loomed over him, her chestnuts curls hanging down in front of her.

"You're not here," He croaked out loud, blinking a few times.

 _Of course im not, her voice chided. You're hallucinating, Probably from dehydration. Still, if you pull that spike right now , you will bleed out._

He groaned, trying to move his arm. With effort, he found he could bend at the elbow and it didnt cause much more pain. He sat up, holding his arm to his chest and tried to stand. A twig broke off to his left, followed by a low growl. He froze, turning his head extremely slow in the direction of the sounds. Three very large, very ferocious looking beasts stood growling not more than fifteen feet away. He slowly moved his non injured hand down to his waist, feeling for the survival knife and coming up empty. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the sun sparkling off the compass in the hilt, on the bare path out of reach.

Shit. He thought to himself, slowly reaching around his body in hopes of finding some other means to defend himself. His fingers stumbled upon a rock, closing around it and slowly liting it.

 _If i can distract them long enough to reach that knife,_ he thought, _i might have a fighting chance._

He slowly lifted the rock, said a mental prayer, and flung it as hard as he could manage at the closest wolf. Effortlessly, it jumped back and dodged the rock. Without warning, the wolf exploded in a cloud of dust, sending the remaining two scattering in fear. Jacob was blown backwards slightly from the shock wave before forcing himself to stand up, surged towards the knife and bolted in what he hoped was still the right direction. He forced himself to run, puting as much distance between himself and the still falling debris as he could.

* * *

Sara stood up on the top of the fuselage, hearing the blast echo in the distance. Her hair blew behind her as she lifted a pair of old school binoculars up and scanned the treeline in the direction of the explosion. She could see a dust cloud wafting in the breeze and a few birds flying up into the air. She dropped the binoculars, tapping her ear in haste.

"Gideon!" She muttered urgently.

"Yes, Captain?" The artificial intelligence replied cheerily.

"Scan the island, make sure that wasn't him."

"Already working on it." Came the voice, a hint of sarcasm echoing. "Im reading a heat signature leaving the area in a moderate pace. Undetermined if it was our boy who set off the charge."

"Our boy?" Sara questioned with a laugh.

"I want to see him succeed as well, Captain."

"Keep an eye on him then," Sara giggled, smiling to herself.

* * *

The trees were casting long dark shadows with the sun dipping low into the horizon as Jacob stumbled out of the forest into a small clearing. He blinked in the creeping darkness, finding a large shattered cargo plane in front of him. There were flickers of dancing light coming from the center section as he approached. He ducked his head through what looked like an emergency exit and stumbled into the belly of the cargo place, a fire burning off to his right. He took a step, aimlessly dropping the survival knife from his hand. He tried to take another step, this time faltering and collapsing into the dirt. With an exhausted, pain filled sigh, he lost consciousness.

Sara dropped through a hatch in the makeshift roof, swinging on a metal rod that hung between the walls and landed a few feet away from him. She knelt down beside him, very carefully rolling his body onto his back and looked him over. Seeing the spike in his shoulder, she pushed a few lighter crates off of a makeshift cot and lifted his body onto it. She stood up, flipped open a crate and pulled out a canteen and a small leather pouch. Taking a bundle of what looked like herbs from it, she shoved them into the canteen and shook it violently. She knelt down beside his body, opening the canteen slightly and dripping some of the contents onto his face.

"Wake up," She commanded, flicking more water onto him.

With a groan, his eyelids slowly opened.

"Sara?" he muttered sluggishly.

"Dont talk, drink," she urged, tiling the canteens contents into his mouth. He managed a to drink down some before it spilled over his chin and he coughed.

She sat the canteen down, scooped up the knife he had dropped and shoved the tip into the coals of the fire.

"I need to remove that," she told him, nodding to his shoulder.

"Bleed...out." he struggled to say as she gently poured a little more water into his mouth.

"Do you trust me?" she asked, trying to delicately pull off his belt.

He groaned as his body shifted, pulling the belt free from underneath him. She folded it a few times, before reaching over to adjust the blade in the fire. He looked down at the belt, groaned and nodded. With slow and painful effort, he opened his mouth and she gently put the folds into his teeth. He muttered something from behind them.

"Better than shattering a tooth," She insisted, pulling the knife free. The blade now had a bright orange glow. "Not going to lie, this is going to hurt like a bitch."

His eyes drifted towards the glowing blade and he winced, letting out a sigh before giving a firm nod. She grasped the spike firmly with one hand and moved the knife closer. With one quick jerk, the spike pulled free with a nauseating squelch and a choked off moan of pain from Jacob. Blood began pouring out of his shoulder, running down his arm and forming a small puddle on the ground. Without missing a step, Sara pressed the glowing blade to the open would, causing it to sizzle and the air to be filled with the smell of cooking meat. Jacobs moan of pain began to change into a groan, then a growl and then an all out roar of agony. The bleeding slowed, and after a moment, stopped completely. She lifted the blade from his skin, seeing it had completely sealed shut. Jacobs eyes went white before he collapsed into the cot and passing. Sara sat the blade down, poured some of the canteens contents onto the wound and dabbed gently at Jacobs face with her wet fingers.

"Congratulations kid," She whispered to him. "You passed…..well for the most part."


	15. Parallels

Sara sat a few feet away from Jacob as he laid on the cot, muttering in his sleep. The fire crackled and flickered, causing flashes of light to dance with the darkness outside. A long spear with a stone point leaned against the wall within reach of Sara as she gazed into the burning coals, occasionally looking up.

Jacob tossed and turned on the cot, mutturing something she couldn't make out. The movements became more violent as it went on before he sat straight up, eyes flickering open and turned to look straight at her. She saw panic filling his very pale blue eyes. He blinked a few times, seemingly recognizing her and his surroundings. With a shake of his head, he sighed and reached into his back pocket. A frown crept to his face as he found the pocket empty.

Sara reached up to a crate on her left, flipped a lid and pulled the two photographs out. She handed them both to him before leaning back in her seat.

"How did you?" he asked, accepting them and frowning deeper at her.

"Lifted them both off of you in the jumpship," she replied with a smile. "Didn't want to ruin them with the sea water."

"Oh," he muttered feebly. "Dick move by the way."

"You're alive aren't you?" she pointed out.

"Mostly," He grunted with a look at his own bandaged shoulder.

The two went silent for a few moments, Sara staring into the burning coals and Jacob staring down at his photographs.

"I used to watch Oliver with the same look on his face," she whispered, barely breaking the silence. "Only his was just a picture of my sister."

"Its stupid," he muttered feebly. "It's just two pieces of paper...but it's the only pieces of them i have left…"

"It's not stupid," she insisted. "Family is always a comfort."

"It feels like someone out there is laughing at me," he sighed bitterly. "To be taken away from my family in my happiest moment, then to be forced into a world where they are alive but skeptical….it's all so…"

"Tragic?" she offered, smiling.

"Well, yea" he nodded. "I mean, i realize it's a second chance, but without the one woman who practically saved my life…"

"I know how you feel…" she whispered, holding her hand out for the photograph of the three. "I miss her too."

She looked down at it longingly, a tear forming in the corner of her eye.

"We used to joke," she whispered, smiling sadly. "About how good of a mother she'd be, she used to dream about having kids someday, getting married right out of law school, trying to balance being a lawyer and a mother. Neither of us thought our lives would turn out how they did. I was supposed to go to medical school, become a doctor, marry someone of importance…."

She coughed, wiped the tear away and stood up. With a creak, she lifted the lid of the crate and gently placed the photograph back inside, pulling a bottle filled with an amber liquid out and breaking the seal. With a pop, she pulled the cork back and took a long swig from the bottle. She handed the bottle to Jacob before sitting back down.

"It's not going to kill you," she laughed as he eyeballed the bottle.

He shrugged, taking a long drink as well. He swallowed hard and coughed before handing the bottle back to Sara. She laughed and picked up the canteen beside her, tossing it to him. He took a short sip, breathing in and swallowed before taking another.

"What is that stuff?" he asked, nodding to the bottle she was drinking from again.

"Australian rum," she replied, saluting with the bottle. "Sort of a dark tradition from the old days here. You should probably stick with that anyway."

He rolled his eyes at her, taking a deeper drink from the canteen, With a wince, he pulled a strand of what looked like a plant off of his tongue and held it up in the firelight. He looked at Sara with a raised eyebrow.

"And this?" He asked, peering into the canteen.

"Its good for you, drink it." she insisted.

He hesitated, screwing the lid back onto the canteen.

"They're herbs that grow here," she sighed, taking another long drink from the rum bottle. "Anthony Ivo had a theory that they were somehow tied to the Mirakuru, either as an ingredient or a by product. Either way, they'll help you heal, negate any poison you've been dosed with, or combat an infection."

"Wonder what theyll do for a hangover…" he muttered, setting the canteen down and gingerly laying back on the cot, practically feeling the glare Sara shot him.

"Wouldn't know," she retorted. "Been a long time since ive had one."

He laughed and stared silently at the picture of himself and Thea in their wedding attire.

"How long were you two married?" she asked hesitantly.

"About twelve hours." he replied in a flat tone, absently touching his ring finger with his thumb.

"What happened to the ring?"

"Apparently your Thea was drawn to it," he muttered. "She held onto it when i was laying in their medbay in a coma. I left her hang onto it for now."

"Why?" she asked, propping her feet up and looking over at him.

"Because…." he stopped, holding out a hand for the bottle of rum; Sara gently placed it in his grasp and he took a drink from it and sighed before continuing. "When i look at her, i see the woman i grew up with, fell in love with, wanted to spend the rest of my life with, but there's something else there. There's this intriguing new spark in her eyes and i can't help but hope…."

"She'll fall for you here too?" she asked, smiling.

"Well yea, but when she looks at me she i can't help but feel like she's looking at a stranger."

"She kind of is," she admitted.

He sighed, taking another drink of rum before holding the bottle back out towards her.

"I know that, and it's frustrating." He held out the photograph for her to take, she took it carefully, putting it with his other one in the crate. "Don't think i should carry it, never know when you'll toss me out the jumpship again."

"Get some sleep," she chuckled through a mischievous grin.

* * *

Jacob was woken up to the sudden flash of bright light and the sound of something flying at his head. He managed to deftly dodge the object, the sound of wood clattering against metal resounding throughout the shelter. With a groan, he sat up and opened his eyes to see Sara standing in the entryway.

"Tomorrow, you'll catch that," she declared, nodding to the object. "Pick it up and follow me."

He groaned and turned to search for where it landed. After rummaging around, he pulled it out from underneath the cot he was sleeping on, finding it to be a length of bamboo. He stood up, his body loudly objecting and followed Sara out into the grassy area outside the downed plane. She turned to face him and stopped.

"I want you to try and hit me with that," she instructed.

"You want me to hit you?" he asked drowsily.

"I said try," she retorted with a smirk.

He shrugged, turned his body so his right side was towards her and lunged at her torso. Almost effortlessly, she took a step back, dodging his attack and rolled to his right side. She pulled two more lengths of bamboo up that he hadn't seen, striking him in the back of the knees. With an audible groan, he collapsed forwards and hit the ground.

"First lesson, Spatial awareness." She called, spinning the bamboo sticks in her hand. "Get up and try to hit me again."

He grunted in response, picking himself up out of the dirt and turning to face her. Pausing for a few seconds he took note of her body and position of her limbs. One hand held a bamboo stick high on her shoulder, almost to her neck as the other tucked her matching stick under her arm. He rushed forwards, aiming for the opposing side of her face. With a loud smash of the bamboo meeting, his blow was deflected. In turn, he felt a sudden stinging pain in his stomach where her counter strike landed. He doubled over in pain as she rolled over his exposed back, flipping him into the dirt with her momentum. With a grunt, he attempted to recover, rolling on his back and barely bringing his stick in front of his chest. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough to block the oncoming strike. Sara knocked the stick from his hand and landed a rapid succession of blows to his chest. The air was forcefully ejected from his lungs, leaving him dazed and gasping for air.

"You're dead," she announced, standing up and walking back to her starting position. "Again."

He rolled to his side, barely able to catch his breath as he forced himself to stand. She waited till he could properly breath again and had located his weapon before motioning for him to try again.

He ignored the motion, trying to survey his surroundings with his peripheral vision. The wind caused the trees on his right to sway in its branches, a piece of black cloth danced in the remains of the cockpit in front and to the right of him. To the left, a bush shuddered as a small animal scurried around underneath of it. A few paces away on his left, he noticed another bamboo stick jutting up from the ground. What he didnt notice was how fast Sara had closed the distance between them. With a resounding crack, he felt the sting of bamboo on the side of his face and the sudden burst of pain causing his vision to blur. A second crack echoed out as her blow hit his weapon arm just above the bicep, causing the stick to silently fall to the ground. He tried to refocus his vision, only to find her left stick speeding towards his face again. The pain erupted inside his skull from the hit, sending him crashing to the ground again.

"Lesson number two, never lose focus on your enemy." He heard her call as he struggled to pick himself up.

He forced himself to his feet, trying to ignore the raging pain in his skull. Without falling down, he managed to pick up his stick and steady himself, this time not making a move. He watched Sara as she stood a few paces in front of him, he body in the same readied position as last time. He didn't have to wait long. Sara rushed forwards, preparing to strike at his face and chest. At the last minute, he managed to dodge both attacks, rolling to his left and plucking the stick he had spied earlier from the ground. Without thinking, he recovered from his roll, standing up and mimicking Saras body position. She spun around, clearly surprised at his maneuver and smiled when she took note of his stance. Before she could react, he launched into a frenzy of attacks, brining his right stick from his shoulder down diagonally across her chest. She barely managed to deflect it in time before his left stick slammed into the side of her rib cage, causing more surprise than pain. He mirrored his attack from the opposing shoulder, this time Sara easily deflected both, moving fast enough to knock both sticks from his hands and catching him across the temple with her offhand. Bamboo struck bone as the blow landed and Jacob went spinning into the dirt, fading into unconsciousness.

Sara knelt down beside Jacobs unconscious body and gently pressed two fingers to his neck. After a second, she found his pulse, his heart beating steadily. She sighed to herself and trudged back into the fuselage, returning with the canteen. With a small thud, she dropped it down onto the ground and sat beside his unconscious body. She folded her legs across themselves in a position suited for meditating and closed her eyes.

She mentally reviewed the fight, slowing each of his movements in her mind. After each failure, he seemed to make progress. _But is it going to be fast enough?_ She thought to herself.

* * *

A few hours passed by before Saras meditation was disturbed by a sudden groaning and the sound of movement beside her. She opened her eyes to see Jacob trying to sit up, making her smile.

"Take it easy," she counseled, lightly placing a hand on his chest. "Lay down."

With a wordless groan, he gave in and laid back, rubbing his bloodshot eyes. She picked up the canteen beside her and unscrewed the lid, pouring a small amount in his opened mouth. He coughed and sputtered as the liquid spilt all over his face, reaching up to grab the canteen from her hands. Slowly, he drank from it by himself.

"What did you learn?" she asked.

"Two bamboo sticks arent an effective weapon against Sara Lance?" he grunted, giving a painful grin.

"You think you're weapons were the problem?" she asked, raising her eyebrow sideways at him.

He shrugged, taking a drink from the canteen again and staring up into the clear blue sky. Without saying a word, Sara stood up and walked off into the fuselage. A few moments later, he heard her approach before something metallic and heavy landed on his chest. He coughed and groaned before picking up the item. She had dropped a worn colt 1911 on his chest.

"Lets see how you fair with the advantage then," she taunted from a few feet away on his left.

He struggled to his feet, standing up shakily. Turning the weapon in his hands, he felt for the magazine realease, ejecting it and looking at its contents. As far as he could tell, they were real rounds stacked inside. He slid the magazine back into the handgun, pulling the slide back and taking aim with both hands at Sara. In a blink of an eye, she had closed the distance and knocked his hands away from her body with her right hand. With an overhead left, she grabbed onto the slide of the handgun and pivoted, coming beside him. She stripped the gun from his hands and accompanied it with a sharp jab to his kidneys with her elbow before hooking onto his out flailing arm and tossing him into the dirt. She stepped in close to him as he rolled onto his back, racking the slide back and ejecting the magazine at the same time before pulling the slide completely off the front and dropping it into the dirt.

"You now have no weapon and are dead," she declared, crossing her arms over her chest.

He groaned and nodded. She reached down, picked up the canteen and extended a hand down towards Jacob. With a grunt, he took her hand and accepted the help standing up.

"Maybe im going too easy on you," she muttered, slapping the canteen to his chest.

"That was easy?" he asked, rubbing his head where a bruise was starting to form.

"Drink," she commanded, ignoring the comment and nodding her head towards the canteen.

He grunted in response, taking a drink and wiping his mouth.

"Lets see the arm," she instructed, motioning for him to turn his injured shoulder towards her. He obeyed and rolled up the sleeve of his tattered shirt.

She gently peeled the bandage off of his skin, inspecting the wound. The skin was still bright pink and had black patches from searing it shut, but overall was healing. Thankfully there was no sign of infection or blood poisoning, the herbs she had mixed with his water were doing their job.

"Its better," she muttered, pressing the bandage back down and rolling his sleeve back over it. "It'll heal but youre going to scar."

"Not like i don't have a few already," he grunted with a shrug, touching his chest absently.

"Time for some cardio," she instructed, taking the canteen from his hands and shutting the lid. "I've laid out a course for you through the wood, past the waterfall and around back here. Each section will test you, there are markings so you don't wander and get lost, follow them."

He groaned and nodded as she pointed in the direction of a tree that had a ring of bark chipped out of it.

"What about the landmines and traps like the one i triggered yesterday?" he asked, frowning.

"Spatial awareness," she replied through a grin. "Lesson one remember?"

"Are you trying to kill me?"

"Not yet," she laughed. "Get moving, you will be timed."

 _Ah hell_ , he thought to himself before setting off towards the first tree. His first couple strides were shaky and his muscles protested. He ignored them as best he could and pushed onward, determined to make it through.

"Gideon," Sara muttured, tapping her ear.

"Yes Captain?" Came her voice cheerfully.

"Start the clock. Are the sensors in place?"

"Yes Captain. I have arranged several checkpoints as requested, each will transmit data to the jumpship along with a video feed from each one."

"Thank you, Gideon." Sara said through a smile.

"If i may, Captain," Gideon interjected. "Do you think it's wise to push him so far, so soon?"

"He wanted to learn, this is the only way i know that will teach him. I see greatness in him, he could be better than even Olliver." she replied flatly.

"Of course, my apologies Captain."

"Let me know when he reaches the last checkpoint." She finished before tapping her ear in dismissal.

Sara ducked back into the fuselage, rummaging around before producing a length of tattered rope. With a smile, she walked back out into the grassy area and found two trees close enough together to be of use to her. She lashed a straight enough length of wood between the two at each end. With a nod to herself, she stood in the middle directly underneath the length of wood and jumped up, grabbing it. She tested her weight on it, checking to see if the lashing would hold. After a few pullups, she lifted herself up with her arms and held herself above the cross piece. With a sigh, she swung forwards and dropped down, gracefully landing on the ground and dusting her hands off. That'll work, she thought to herself as she ducked back into the fuselage and let the camouflage netting settle back in the doorway behind her.

* * *

Jacob ran as fast as his exhausted legs would carry him, trees whipping by. He came to another tree missing bark in a ring and followed the worn path ahead of him. As best as he could, he tried to maintain a focus on everything around him. His eyes scanned the path ahead of him as he ran, keeping a lookout for any surprises Sara might have left him along her route.

He continued on, cutting a sharp right at the next marker. Thankfully he saw the thin strand of vine between the two trees before, carefully jumping over it. Unfortunately there was a second strand he didnt see, about chest high, that he caught and was pulled with him as he ran. He heard another loud snap of a branch and felt the air shift as a branch line with sharp spikes began to swing at him from the side. Curling up as best he could in the air, he tried to roll out of the way. He felt the spikes catch on the outer edges of his clothing as he just barely missed it, hitting the ground and rolling into a tree stump.

He laughed to himself mentally, standing up and brushing the dirt off of his arms and feeling the shredded cloth. The spikes only managed to tear his clothing without hitting his skin. He turned back up the path and continued on running, forcing himself to push farther.

Sara heard a sudden beeping in her ear.

"Go ahead, Gideon," She answered, tapping her ear,

"He's reached the final checkpoint Captain, and should be returning to you in a few minutes."

"How's he doing?" She asked, stepping out of the tattered remains of the aircraft and gazing out in the direction he was supposed to be returning from.

"Very well," Gideon replied, Sara getting the feeling that she was smiling. "Aside from triggering a trap along the way, he seems to be unharmed."

"Good, I'll have to make it more difficult in the morning."

* * *

The sun was starting its descent into the horizon as she saw his figure come out of the treeline, his face covered in sweat and dirt. As he got closer, she could see the fatigue in his eyes and see he was starting to slow down. When he finally reached her, he stumbled and fell, rolling in an ungraceful manor before coming to stop in a crumpled heap in front of her.

"You made it," she announced, kneeling down and smiling at him.

"Barely," he gasped breathless.

She handed him the canteen from behind her back and he took it eagerly, taking a big gulp. With a cough and a sputter, he turned over on his side and struggled to breathe. After a second, he took another gulp and tried to stand. She hooked his arm and pulled him up with her as she stood, helping him to stagger inside.

The fire crackled and burned bright inside, with some sort of meat roasting on a spit between two Y shaped pieces of metal, giving the air a delicious smell. Sara helped Jacob to the cot, letting him fall exhausted onto the cot with a flop. She dropped the canteen on his lap before walking around the fire and turning the meat, causing fat to drip off and sizzle into the flames. Picking up another knife from a crate, she sliced off a piece of meat and ate it.

"What is that?" Jacob asked, gaining his breath back and taking a drink from the canteen.

"Pheasant," she replied, slicing another chunk off and offering it to him.

He eagerly took it and devoured the chunk, sighing in contentment. Sara reached behind her crate and produced the rum bottle from the previous night, drizzling a small amount onto the roasting bird and causing the flames to lap at the skin.

The two sat and ate in relative silence, the only sound coming from the crackling fire and the wind through the trees outside. Jacob leaned back on the cot as the fire started to burn low, closing his eyes and after a few minutes, slipped quietly asleep.


	16. Parallels part 2

Jacob woke the next morning to the sounds of footsteps and the swish of something flying through the air. He reached up in front of his face, hoping to catch whatever was flying his way, only for it to smack off his hand and clatter to the ground.

"Closer," Sara laughed as he sat up and opened his eyes. " Lets go."

He picked the stick up off the floor, standing up from the bed and making his way out after her. Once outside the plane, she tossed a second stick up into the air at him. After a seconds hesitation, he bobbled it into the air and fumbled to catch it. Before he could safely secure it in his hand, Sara turned around and rushed towards him. With a resounding smack of bamboo on itself, she smacked the fumbling stick out of his reach and slammed into his chest. Jacob was thrown backward and caught off guard, stumbling and barely keeping his footing. Sara continued to rush him, landing a blow on his thigh and knocking the stick he had managed to keep in his hand away. His chest was wide open, to which she landed three quick smacks before following into a sweeping kick at his legs. With a thud, Jacob landed on his backside in the dirt.

"Lesson number three, always expect an attack," she lectured, transferring her sticks to one hand before extending another to help him to his feet.

He wordlessly grumbled, accepting her hand and standing. She let him go, turning and walking farther away. A few feet away, she stopped and faced him, seeing him pickup the fumbled stick before joining her.

"You copied my fighting stance yesterday, do it again," she commanded.

Jacob frowned before complying. He tucked his left stick under his right arm and held his right stick just above his shoulder.

"Good,"she commented, assuming a mirror image of the stance. "Now, first strike. Bring your right stick down and across in front of you."

He complied, albeit slightly lazily.

"Good, now your left up and across, resting on your left shoulder." Sara said through a smile as he did so.

He repeated the movements several times as Sara called out an order, each one becoming more and more fluid as he went. She called him to a halt and stepped closer, within striking distance.

"Now, do it again. Each strike should meet in the center line." she instructed stepping up.

He nodded and began, starting from his right shoulder. His first strike wavered slightly, hitting off of Saras strike and bouncing backwards. She whipped up one of her sticks and hit his hand with a resounding crack. He grunted in pain, stepping back and trying to recover his weapon.

"You have to hit through the line," she reminded him. "Again!."

He complied, this time moving smoothly with the strike. Their weapons met in the center, giving a loud smack before he brought his second strike up and rechambered his first on the opposing shoulder.

"Keep it going," she commanded, not letting him pause.

Jacob faulted, shuffling his feet before finding the right rhythm. Each strike he launched met Saras equal directly in front of them.

"Good! Now faster!"

He tried to meet each of her strikes, some of his not fully coming back to his body before he had to launch to the center. Once he finally got it figured out, he laughed.

"This is easy," he chuckled. "What do you call this?"

Without warning, she ducked below one of his strikes and smacked him in the calf muscle. Groaning in pain, he lurched to the side. In a blink, hooked one stick behind his knee and shoulder checked him right in the chest, sending him tumbling into the dirt yet again.

"Its called Kali," she laughed, standing over him. "And you need to learn how to block low."

She switched both of her sticks to one hand, extending her opposite hand down to help him get back up. With much grumbling, he accepted and stood, walking over to the fuselage and retrieving the canteen. He took a long drink and sighed at the taste. Before he could say anything, Sara snatched it out of his hand and pointed towards the tree line with both sticks.

"Rest when your done," she commanded, closing the canteen with her thigh.

"Same path?" he asked, wiping the residual water off his face.

"Yes, and no." She grinned evilly. "You'll have to ready for anything. It took you an hour to complete it yesterday, do it in less or you'll run it twice."

He grunted a wordless response before setting off in the direction she pointed.

* * *

Jacob ran as fast as he could, sweat dripping down his face. Tree branches whipped by his face, becoming a random blur as he ran. He concentrated on pushing himself to move faster while trying to focus on the path and any hidden obstacles. The first one he came to was almost too obvious, a series of leaves stood straight up in the air, indicating a tripwire holding them. He easily avoided it, jumping up and over it while making sure not to land on a secondary wire. He continued onward, dodging another wire successfully.

Up farther on the path he noticed a log that had not been there before, hesitating before he reached it. He took a second and looked around for anything else that might have been out of place. Without warning, two sharp lengths of bamboo shot out of the log. They whistled through the air, making Jacob turn towards the sound. He caught a glimpse of them flying and immediately hit the ground, one grazing the side of his face as he fell.

 _Holly Shit,_ he thought to himself as he raised his hand to his face. His cheek stung and his fingers came away wet with blood. He brushed it away and attempted to get up. Staying low, he crept forwards to the log, inside he found a jury rigged setup that shot the two spears. _She's trying to kill me…._ he thought as he took off backup the path.

* * *

Sara sat on a crate just outside the fuselage, using a brilliant silver throwing knife to trim down a set of pheasant feathers on an arrow. She sliced a layer off of one, holding it up to her eye to check the angle before stuffing it into an old brown quiver. After looking over at her makeshift sundial, she looked up to the treeline, frowning in the bright sunlight and flipping her knife in her hand absently. Putting a hand up to her eyes, she scanned for a sign of his return. She stood up, stuffed the quiver into the crate she was sitting on and walked a distance to a suitable tree. She started to strip the bark from it in a circular motion. After a few moments she had carved a decent sized circle, with a smaller inner circle carved a layer deeper. She took a step back, nodded and headed back to the sundial.

She knelt down beside it, comparing a mark she had made when he started off to where it rested now. _He's got ten minutes left..._ she thought to herself, looking back up to the treeline again. In the distance, she saw something moving closer. Squinting to see it better, she was surprised to see Jacob sprinting towards her. A smile crept to her face as he ran towards her, unfortunately disappearing whenever she saw the line of blood leaking down his face. He came to face her, breathless but still on his feet. Putting his hands on his knees, he bent over trying to catch his breath. She grabbed his head on either side and forced him to stand up, inspecting the wound.

"Im fine," he panted, trying to brush her hands from his face.

She ignored his comment, looking over his cheek for a second before letting go and heading inside their shelter. Jacob picked up the canteen from where it sat beside her crate and took a deep drink from it. Sara came back out a few minutes later and pushed him into a sitting position on the crate. She unscrewed a small silver tin and dipped her finger in it, dabbing the contents on the gash. Jacob winced at the touch but didn't try to stop her. She smeared it gently with her thumb, fingers holding on the side of his face, eyes meeting his for a second and stopping.

 _Those eyes….they remind me so much of Ollie...and Laurel..._ she thought gazing into them. She sat the tin and its lid down, bringing her other hand up to embrace his cheek. She could see the pain buried deep within, almost as if she was seeing directly into his soul. The damage done to him was evident to her, recognizing a part of herself in him as well.

Saras first touch didn't bother Jacob, taking comfort in the physical sensation. It wasn't till she brought her other hand to his face that he grew confused. He turned his attention up to her eyes, meeting their brilliant blue stare. _What is she doing?_ He thought, looking deeper into her eyes as well. It was then that he began to notice more: the elegant blue of her eyes and how they sort of sparkled in the sunlight, the definition in her cheekbones, the thin lines of her lips and how he suddenly wanted to kiss them. He could feel her face closing the distance between them, the heat radiating off of her warming him. She absently brushed her thumb on his cheek, grazing too close to the wound, causing him to blink and twitch.

She blinked a few times as if coming out of a dream, dropping both her hands from his cheek. With a shake of her head, she took a step back and turned around, bringing a hand to her forehead. _What the hell was that?_ She thought as she tried to shake the feeling away.

Jacob coughed, trying to clear his suddenly dry throat. He reached down and grabbed the canteen, taking a drink and slaking his thirst.

"So um… what next?" he croaked out, taking another drink as he stood up.

"Upper body strength," she responded, turning around but not looking at him. "Work on it."

She pointed over to where she had secured a length of wood between two trees. He shrugged, walking away from her to stand beneath it. With a sigh, he jumped up, grabbing the pole and began pulling his body up till his chest met the center.

"Pull your whole body up till your above it," she instructed, looking up at his progress.

He did as she said, pulling at first and then lifting himself up till the pole was almost at his waist. He slowly let his weight bring him back down to his starting position, his shirt getting caught on the way. It slowly pulled up, bunching up and revealing his midsection.

The bare skin caught Saras attention and she found her eyes drawn to his muscular figure, noticed the scars that adorned it as well. _Damn he looks good….what the hell! That's your nephew!_ She mentally yelled to herself. Lustful thoughts began to fill her mind, making her whole body feel hot and fluttery. _Technically he isn't even blood,_ she found herself thinking as she absently bit her bottom lip, _it wouldn't be wrong….just pin him down and…._.

Jacob struggled to lift his body up above the bar one last time, arms shaking and hands aching. He slowly lowered himself down, till his arms were completely extended and dropped down into the dirt. Stumbling slightly, he managed not to fall. He stood firm, looking up to see Sara standing a few paces away staring at him. She was looking his body up and down, biting her lip and he could almost see a pink tint in her cheeks.

"Sara?" he asked out loud.

Her eyes widened suddenly before she shook her head. The look on her face was a mix between shock and embarrassment.

"Run the course again!" she barked, pointing to the starting tree.

His jaw fell open and he started to grumble something but stopped when he saw her suddenly give him a piercing glare. With a sigh, he started off towards the course, shaking his head and grumbling to himself.

Sara paced back and forth for a few minutes, stopping only to watch Jacobs form disappear into the trees. She angrily walked off in the direction of where the jumpship sat cloaked and opened the door, sealing it shut behind her before she sat down on one of the seats and put her head in her hands.

"Gideon," she called, a floating head appearing on the dashboard a few seconds later.

"Yes Captain?"

"I need you to scan my blood for any anomalies, can you do that without me having to return to The Waverider?" she asked, looking around the compartment.

"As you know the jumpship is limited on medical capabilities…" Gideon started to reply.

"Can you do it or not?" Sara asked grumpily.

"Yes Captain." She responded flatly, a small flat piece of metal flipping down beside her with a clear octagonal pad in the center. "Place a drop of your blood on the scanner and i will analyze it."

Sara pulled out one of her throwing knives, pricked her index finger and squeezed a drop of blood out. Once it hit the octagonal pad, a line of red lights dissected it, almost absorbing it into the pad.

"It will take a few moments to send the data back and forth between the Waverider and the Jumpship," Gideon announced. "Im detecting a variation in your speech patterns, is there something wrong?"

"Just analyze my blood Gideon…" Sara sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"Of course," Gideon snipped, her visage disappearing from the console.

Sara paced back and forth in frustration, footsteps rebounding off the metal walls. Endless minutes passed.

"Analysis complete captain," came Gideons voice, her floating head appearing on the console. "Aside from a spike in your oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine levels, your blood composition remains fairly normal. Youre body is producing the chemical makeup of atttaction."

"Are you sure Gideon?"

"My analysis has a one number percent correctness, Captain," she snipped.

"Ok ok sorry," Sara sighed slumping down into a seat.

"If I may Captain, your relation to him is only a formality of adoption, you have no blood ties to him. By my understanding it would be suitable to mate under these circumstances."

"Seriously Gideon?" she answered back, slightly aghast.

"Given your body's chemical signals, and his striking resemblance to Oliver Queen, I fail to see your hesitation."

Sara paused for a minute, shaking her he a before resting it I her hands.

"Wait a minute….you're jealous aren't you!" Sara chuckled sitting up and eyeing Gideons holographic representation.

"I fail to see your meaning, Captain," Gideon shot back in a defensive tone.

"I thought you had a thing for Rip?"

"I don't know what you're referring to," Gideon snipped before her visage disappeared suddenly.

Sara laughed heartily, standing up and opening the hatch. She let it fall shut behind her and it disappeared in a shimmer of colors, leaving only the area behind it showing.

* * *

Jacob returned to the fuselage, lines of sweat dripping down his body and out of breath. He stumbled inside, finding the for already crackling away and a chunk of unknown meat rotating just over top of it. The air was filled with the smell of mouthwatering scents. Sara sat on a crate, downing the last of the Australian rum from its glass bottle. She purposely looked away from him as he collapsed down onto the cot.

* * *

The next day started as usual: blinding light followed by the practice stick flying at Jacobs head. This time, he managed to catch it, to the shock of Sara.

"That's more like it," she said through a proud grin.

He stood up, becoming accustomed to the soreness in his muscles and followed her outside. After a few paces she turned and began launching a frenzied assault, managing to catch him twice In the thigh and once on the back of his arm before he managed to raise his own and block. The scuffle lasted only a few minutes more before Jacob ultimately landed in the dirt.

Sara reached down and extended a hand to pull him up.

"You're getting better," she admitted, heaving him to his feet.

"My bruises would say otherwise," he grunted back and rubbing his thigh.

"Every bruise a lesson learned," she quoted with a smile, letting her sticks clatter to the ground.

He shook his head and grabbed a drink from his canteen while she flipped open a crate. With a flourish, she pulled not only the quiver full of arrows from the previous day but also a slightly worn fiberglass longbow.

"Lets see how you do with this," she called, tossing the bow high into the air at him.

Jacob looked up in time to see the bow flying right towards him, catching it perfectly in his left hand. With his right, he closed the canteen and or it drop at his feet.

"Now I want you to hit," she paused, producing a throwing know and whipped it at the tree. "..that tree. Think you can do that?"

With a grin he grabbed an arrow from the quiver she was holding, drew back and let fly. The arrow whistled slightly as it rocketed forward in the air, striking the tree and embedding itself right beside her knife.

"Well, damn." Sara whistled, raising her eyebrow and looking at him in a surprised manor.

He laughed and grabbed another arrow, adjusting slightly before firing. With a thwak, his arrow landed on the opposite side of her knife. Before she could say anything, he took the quiver and slung it over his shoulder, securing the cross strap under his arm and halfway across his chest. With barely a second between, he left fly 2 more arrows, completely boxing inin her knife. He lowered his bow and grinned down at her.

"How did you..?" she started to ask.

"My Oliver taught Thea and I when we were kids, we used to compete with each other all the time," he laughed.

"Of course," she said with a very intriguing smile, staring lustfully up into his eyes.

A thick silence settled in the air as they both stood there staring at each other. The sunlight caught Saras eyes in just the right manor, Jacob could swear they were almost sparkling. The way Saras beautiful blonde hair fell across the right side of her face made him want to brush it behind her ear and caress her beautiful cheek.

He started to raise his right hand, the movement making Sara blink and her eyes shift focus to it. Jacob blinked, freezing in place. Sara gave a mischievous grin and grabbed his raised hand. With a tug, she pulled him in the direction of the obstacle course.

"Come on," she urged, pulling him along.

"What?" he asked, giving her a confused look but sluggishly allowing her to pull him along.

She gave another tug on his arm, pulling him along faster. He slung his bow over his shoulders with the string across his chest and followed her.

"Try and keep up," she said through a mischievous grin and winked at him before taking off up the path.

He laughed to himself and sprinted after her, closing the distance before they reached the first set of traps. Sara moved with such grace, it was almost distracting. She dodged the first set of wires almost effortlessly, turning her head to see Jacob do the same. Before they reached the second set, he had caught up to her and was keeping pace right along side of her. Sara grinned and pulled a knife from somewhere unseen, throwing it head of them and slicing through two sets of wires across the path. WIth a loud snap, two swinging logs descended down in an arc, passing each other in the middle and swinging higher from their momentum. Without missing a step, Sara pushed ahead, jumping up and over them as they crossed back down again.

Jacob watched as she did so, instead pulling out two arrows from his quiver, knocking them onto the string and let fly. They launched out ahead of him in a small V, with the perfect timing to slice the barely seen ropes holding both logs. With a clatter together, they fell to the ground harmlessly underneath Jacob as he ran over them.

"Cheater!" Sara called mockingly back to him.

Jacob laughed, picking up the pace to try and catch her again.

They came upon the next set of traps with the spear launching log. Sara jumped into the air, rolling as she hit the ground and standing back up behind the log. She waited for Jacob to catch up, before giving the log a swift kick, activating the trap and sending the spears hurtling through the air at Jacob before he was ready. Scrambling in haste, he managed to knock another arrow, letting it fly at the spears. It managed to fly fairly straight, catching the left one in the tail, sending it careening into its mate and causing them to drop out of the air. Jacob launched himself over the log, right as Sara pulled another knife and threw it at him. With as much force as he could, he managed to twist his body in midair, barely avoiding the knife and causing him to crash down into Sara. The two rolled from Jacobs momentum, tumbling through the dirt and causing the few arrows left in Jacobs quiver to scatter. After a few revolutions, Sara managed to roll out on top of Jacob, pinning him to the ground with another unseen knife at his throat. She leaned I close, pressing the knife down ever so slightly, her face just inches from his. She could feel the heat radiating along his body, yearning to go farther, meeting with her own secret desire. Something in his nether region twitched as she moved. He grinned sexually up at her.

"You need a bath," she said abruptly, pulling herself away from his bodily call.

Stunned silence was her only response. After the shock subsided, he stood up and fumbled around. Finding only a pair left, he shoved them in his quiver.

"Come on," she urged, heading towards the waterfall a few meters away.

He followed, hesitant at first. A million thoughts began running through his brain. Whether or not he had admitted it in the past, he did find Sara attractive on his world. She was brilliant, kind, strong and one bad ass woman. Her doppelganger was exactly the same.

As they neared the cascading falls, Sara began stripping out of her clothing. First she began unlacing her boots, kicking them off and tracing seductively back up her perfectly sculpted legs. Jacob froze, completely awestruck by the moment. Her hands hands ventured to her hips, slowly unbuttoning her pants. Almost in slow motion, she slid them off with a shake of her hips, revealing she wore nothing underneath and giving Jacob a fantastic view of her toned backside. She let them fall on top of her discarded boots. In one swift motion, she lifted her shirt up and off, leaving her beautiful blonde locks falling against her alabaster skin. She took a step towards the pool, and paused.

"Arent you coming?" she asked, flashing a sultry smile over her shoulder.

He nodded, unable to speak. As fast as he could, Jacob unslung the quiver from his shoulders, dropping it along with the bow beside Saras pile of discarded clothing. With a few less than graceful movements, his pants and tattered shirt joined the pile. Sara still had her back towards him as he slowly stepped into the pool of water, cool water creeping up his body as he did so. He waded deeper in till the water was up to his chest.

Sara turned towards him, the water just barely above her breasts, and smirked. She eyeballed his muscular chest, enjoying the way the spray from the falls collected and rolled down it. She slowly motioned for him to turn around, moving closer to him as he did. She cupped her hands, collecting a small pool of water and let it slowly pour over his neck, causing him to shudder. Once her hands were empty, she slowly traced them down his broad shoulders, moving down his arms till they were submerged in water again before repeating. After each dousing of water, she ran her hands down his skin again, causing him to shudder and his muscles to flex in pleasure.

Jacob stood there with his eyes closed, enjoying every sensation. From the cool water slowly rolling down his sore muscles, to the warm sensual sliding of Saras hands. He could feel his desire for her to touch him more grow. His heart began to ache in his chest, desire filling his every inch and racing throughout him.

Sara moved closer to him, her breasts meeting his back. She brought her hands up underneath his arms, this time caressing his chest and moving down his muscular torso. She lightly touched his scars, fingers tracing the outline of each one. His heartbeat skyrocketed as she did, feeling it race through her breasts. She grinned, gently kissing his bare skin before she let her hands wander farther down.

Jacobs head was spinning, Saras touch was intoxicating. He yearned for more, his manhood growing hard and throbbing. Her hands drifted down to its base, probing and slowly inching farther. She wrapped one hand around it, gripping firmly before letting her other hand slide farther down, teasing and tormenting his balls. Jacobs skin felt like it had been ignited, the heat radiating into Sara as she began to slowly stroke his shaft. She took pleasure in every shudder and movement he made, making her feel powerful and even more sexy.

He couldn't take it anymore, spinning around to face her. Pulling her close and grabbing a fist full of her beautiful blonde hair, he leaned down and kissed her savagely. The taste of her lips drove him even more wild causing him to reach down and grab her toned ass in both hands. He gave it a hard squeeze, lifting her up and closer towards him. She broke the kiss breathlessly, placing a hand on his chest and panting. She grabbed his rock hard member in one hand and pushed his chest with her other, causing him to stumble backwards till his back met a flat rock. She grinned devilishly when he gasped, either from his back hitting the rock or from her hold on him, she didn't care. She rose up out of the water, water gliding down her succulent chest and planted both feet on either side of him. With her right hand, she guided his cock towards her aching entrance; the other was brought to his throat. She gave both a firm squeeze, kissing him forcefully. Their tongues clashed together in a seductive dance before she broke away again.

"You better not be gentle," she growled, lips brushing his ear.

He replied by grasping her by the hips and thrusting forcefully inside of her. He grip loosened momentarily as her eyes rolled back into her head and she gasped in pleasure. After regaining her composure, she brought both hands up to his throat and closed around it. Jacob began thrusting faster and slamming harder into her warmth. Water splashed wildly as their bodies met again and again, soaking both their faces. Saras breasts heaved up and down, the sight causing Jacob to grow harder and spasm inside her. Her back arched in response, eliciting a moan from her luscious lips. She dropped her hands from his neck, placing both on his chest and with a toss of her wet hair, plunged herself down onto him. Jacob moaned, hands squeezing her toned ass as she took control, slamming down onto his throbbing member again and again. After a few strokes, she dug her nails into his chest, leaving a pink outline. She slowed, only stopping once he was completely inside her.

"Is that the best you've got?" she asked breathlessly, wiping a combination of sweat and water off her face.

Jacob laughed, lifting her shaking body off of him. He maneuvered around her, pressing her against the rock and pulling both of her arms behind her back. With one hand, he held her wrists securely, his other hand slowly tracing down the valley of her spine to the curvature of her ass. He reached down and adjusted himself so his member was just barely pressing against her entrance. Sara squirmed, shifting her hips to try and push him inside. He laughed menacingly against her back, nipping at her skin before breathing his way up to her ear.

"Not even close," he breathed, grabbing her around the neck and pulling her towards him til her back was pressed against his chest.

He trailed his free hand down her chest, tracing his fingernail against her skin as he moved. Pausing at her breasts, he drew small circles around her erect nipples, digging into the skin enough to leave a faint red line behind. He continue down, tracing over her impressive muscles. He stopped just above her mound, running his finger side to side just over top of it,

"Don't tease me," she choked out in a half moan.

His fingers began to move again, descending to the warmth of her womanhood. He shifted his hips, causing his member to brush against her. With a pinch of his pointer and his thumb, he gripped her clit, twiddling it around. Saras whole body shook, hips trying to push him into her. He finally gave in, thrusting forward till his whole length was inside. She moaned in ecstasy, rocking her hips forwards and back. Jacob relentlessly pounded inside of her before they both cried out in climax.

After a few moments of delirium, Jacob maneuvered them both around to where his back was against the flat rock, Sara breathless and held against his chest. She looked up to face him and unable to find any words, started giggling. Her laughter made Jacob in turn start laughing.

A loud snapping of branches broke them out of their giddyness as several heavily armed strangers dressed in jungle camouflage approached them. Jacob scrambled towards the bow and quiver that lay on the clothing pile just out of reach before one tall dark man stepped forwards and kicked it away. Sara looked around for a makeshift weapon before prying up a rock from the edge of the water. Another of the strangers stepped forwards and swung his rifle at Jacobs head, connecting his face with the butt of the gun. Sara arched her arm backwards, preparing to throw her rock. The strangers lifted their rifles and pointed them directly at Sara, lasers making small red dots appear over her chest.

"I wouldn't do that, my lady," One of the strangers drawled out in a heavily foreign accent, stepping forwards.

She glared at the man as he knelt down, eyes drifting down to her exposed breasts. She attempted to lash out at his face, only for two others to suddenly close in on her from the sides. They grabbed her arms, wrenching the rock from her grip before knocking her out in turn.

"Want me get rid of her?" one of the two men at her side asked.

"No," the kneeling man boomed, "Take them both, they might have the information we need."

The men nodded, hefting Saras unconscious body up out of the water as another pulled Jacobs body out and hefted it onto his shoulders. The kneeling man stood, picking up Jacobs bow and quiver, wrapping the later around his own broad shoulders. With a grunt at the remaining strangers, he indicated the clothing pile before walking off into the trees. The leftover men began grabbing up Saras discarded clothing, laughing and talking in their foreign language.


	17. Breaking Point

_The following chapter contains extremely graphic and violent subject material_

* * *

Jacob was woken up to the sudden dousing of ice cold water being dumped in his face. He coughed and sputtered, trying to bring his hands up to wipe his face but being unable to move. Opening his eyes slowly, he was greeted by the flickering light of a cheap incandescent bulb being shone directly in his eyes. He blinked in the light, trying to figure out where he was, ultimately being unable to see past the light. He tried to move his hands again, rattling the chains that held them to some sort of structure. He turned his head, looking around at his limbs and finding himself chained to a large metal X. Struggling against his restraints, he rattled the chains in hopes of breaking them. A loud booming laughter alerted him to the presence of someone else in the room with him. Jacob squinted in the bright light, barely able to make out an outline of a very large person sitting just off to the left from where the light originated.

"He's awake," the booming voice called out, echoing throughout the room. "There for a while i was worried my men had killed you."

"You couldnt be so lucky," Jacob choked out, still coughing up water. "Where am i?"

"Where does not matter," the voice answered, chuckling again. "If you tell me what i need to know, you won't be here long."

"Wheres Sara?" Jacob asked, ignoring the man's response. "The woman i was was with, where is she."

"You'll see her soon," the voice promised.

"I swear if you hurt her…"

"You'll what?" boomed the man, sending the chair he was sitting on careening away with a screech as he stood up. "Rattle your chains at me?"

The man stepped forwards meer inches away from Jacob, crossing his arms and laughing at him. Jacob tried to lunge at him, only to be held fast against his restraints. The more Jacob struggled, the more the man seemed to become amused.

"Lot of fight in this one," the man quipped out loud. "Makes it more fun to break him."

Small echoes of agreement began to sound throughout the room, causing Jacob to lift his head and try to see where they originated from. He could barely make out a few dozen shadows without any clue as to anything else. The man raised his arms high in a sort of wide gesture before speaking in a strange language.

Jacob blinked, trying to focus on the man as the light flickered rapidly. The man was tall, at least from Jacobs perspective. His head was bald and oily, the light casting off of its sheen. His clothes were an oddity, dressing no longer in the jungle camouflage he originally wore. Instead the man wore a light beige shirt and dark pants. Multiple knife sheaths hung from his belt, circling from his sides to what Jacob could only guess, the whole way around his body. The man stood so close Jacob could smell his putrid breath, gaining a look at his mangled teeth every time he laughed.

"Shall i begin?" He asked the crowd, drawing an oddly jagged blade from one of his sheaths and holding it up high.

He lowered the knife, bringing its point down to rest on Jacobs chest. The metal was cold, sending an involuntary shiver through Jacobs muscles.

"Im going to ask you questions," the man boomed, tapping the blades point lightly against Jacobs chest. "You will answer them."

"Do your worst," Jacob spat, literally spitting in the mans face.

The man laughed in his booming voice again, raising his opposite hand up to wipe the phlegm away.

"A few years ago," The man began, tapping the blade in a rhythmic pattern. "A group of mercenaries used this here Island to manufacture a new high end drug named Slam. Where is the cache?"

"I dont know what your talking about," Jacob replied sternly.

The man laughed, digging the tip of his blade into jacobs chest. Flesh split as he ran the blade down his chest, blood beginning to trail behind it. Jacob winced, squeezing his eyes shut and refusing to give him the satisfaction of screaming.

"Do you play baseball?" the man asked, lifting the knife and taking a step back. "Of course you do, your American. See, we don't have baseball in Haiti. Football yes, but no baseball. After leaving Haiti, i find it everywhere."

Jacob glared at the man in confusion.

"My point is, that is what they would call, strike one." The man answered, spinning the knife by its point on his finger. "I know the operatives would have stored away some of their product in a safe location. Where is it?"

"I've only been on this island for a few days," Jacob answered. "I haven't even seen any other people here."

The man dug his knife in again, cutting another large gash across Jacobs chest. Blood began to roll down his muscles, coating the knife and the forming a small puddle underneath Jacob.

"Strike two," The man gloated, smiling through his rotting teeth. "Are you working for Argus?"

Jacob silently glared at the man, despite recognizing that name. The man waited a few minutes dangling to knife over another section of Jacobs chest.

"Strike three," The man boomed, sheathing knife. "You're out."

Jacob looked at him confused, wondering what was coming next. The man turned around, shouted something in the same foreign language as before. After a few seconds, a low response came out of the darkness. The man spun around, swinging wildly with a right hook. His massive fist connected with the side of Jacobs head, knocking him unconscious.

"Take him away," he instructed waving at two men behind the light. "and bring me the gil, I want to have some real fun."

The two men nodded, grabbing Jacob's unconscious body under the arms and dragging him away. A row of lights flickered on from the ceiling, illuminating a large concrete room with a balcony running complete around the room. Men and women dressed in luxurious attire paced around the balcony, murmuring to each other whilst sipping beverages from tall glasses.

After a few minutes, the the two men returned dragging Saras naked, unconscious body forth. They hefted her up, chaining her arms to the metallic structure before securing her legs. With a leering look, they stepped away and the bald man signalled someone in the corner. With a flicker of the overhead lights, the murmuring among the crowd slowly died to silence. The lights flipped completely out, leaving only the cheap incandescent bulb shining directly into Sara's face.

The man shouted an order in his foreign tongue to one of his men, the later coming forth with a large bucket filled with water. The minion tossed it into saras face with a smirk, eyes holding too long as the water dripped down her bare breasts before returning to his post behind the light.

Sara coughed and sputtered, tossing her blonde hair out of her face with a shake of her head. She looked around the room, blinking a few times in the bright light before spotting her shackled wrists. she gave them a shake, sending the rattling echo throughout the room. The man laughed, loudly and in his booming manor.

"I love how everyone's first idea is to rattle the chains," he laughed, stepping into the light. "It tickles me in such a lovely fashion."

Sara glared at him wordlessly in response.

"Strong and silent?' he growled, pressing his face dangerous close to hers. "It will be more….pleasurable...breaking you then."

She slammed her forehead as hard as she could into his face, catching him in the side of the head and opening a small wound. Blood ran down his face, ruby droplets standing out against his onyx skin. Sara grinned in triumph, that grin disappearing when the man started to laugh. He raised his hand up, wiping the blood away before smearing it across her face.

"Usually i like to be the one to draw first blood," he boomed, drawing a wicked looking curved blade from behind his back.

He brought the knife up to her face first, lightly dragging its sharpened point across her cheekbones.

"Now i would absolutely hate to ruin such a lovely face," he taunted, gliding the knife around. "But if you don't answer me, ill be forced to mar it."

Still Sara remained silent. The man twitched his hand, causing the knife to bite into her flesh and opening a shallow cut just below her right eye. Her eye twitched in response, blood slowly welling up and beginning to creep down her cheek.

"Nothing?" he asked, switching the knife to the opposite side of her face. "Maybe im not asking the right questions. Very well. A few years ago, A group of mercenaries used this here Island to manufacture a new high end drug named Slam. Where is the cache?"

Sara stayed silent, staring past the man and maintained her composure. The man in return, drew open another line in her flesh, directly under her left eye. This time the blood sprang forth rapidly, dripping down her cheek and landing on her breast before rolling farther.

"Still nothing?" he asked again, frowning slightly. "My dear, this hard to get thing is becoming tiresome."

The man's knife drifted down her face ever so slowly, catching her lips on the descent. Still farther down his trailed, leaving a pink scratched line down her pale skin. He reached her breasts and grinned madly. Saras muscles began to twitch uncomfortably as he slowly circled her breasts with his knife, gaining amusement at how subtly she reacted.

"Ahh at last, a response!" he boomed, laughing in triumph. "Now, tell me where their cache is hidden!"

Silence again was his only answer, Sara defiantly staring past him. He rolled his eyes at her defiance, drawing a ruby red line across her upper chest, sending more blood silently creeping down both her breasts. She winced ever so slightly, willing herself not to cry out in any sort.

The mans face instantly grew dark with anger. He lifted his blade from her flesh before hooking it directly underneath her breast, right where it met her chest, preparing to cut.

"You will answer me," he threatened. "Are you working with Argus?"

Sara defiantly remained silent. The man's lip curled upwards in a snarl, hand lifting the knife and breast up enough to draw a line of blood. WIth a loud cough, a command came from one of the viewers on the balcony. The man hesitated, lowering his knife before answering in the same language as before. A reply came, its voice feminine and from the reaction on the torturers face, was not one he wanted to hear. WIth a disappointed look, he grunted and sheathed his knife, but not before grabbing both of Saras breasts, squeezing them tightly and putting face to her ear.

"I await the pleasure of our next encounter," he whispered into her ear, the rotting stench of his breath wafting to her nose.

The man moved away before she could retaliate in any way. With a quick swing, his fist connected with her face, leaving her dazed but not unconscious. The crowd whispered it's surprise before the man again swung at her face. A resounding crack echoed out as his fist met her face again, sending her reeling into unconsciousness and leaving a dark red mark on her cheek. Saras body slumped against the chains as the man ordered his minions forward to release her. They obliged, and with a few moments of their own groping, drug her out of the room.

* * *

Sara woke to the sound of a cell door clicking shut. Groggily she sat up, feeling around in the dimly lit room. She heard her jailer walking away, boot heals on concrete flooring giving off a slight thumping sound. Her hand touched something warm, moving closer to it she determined it to be Jacobs arm. Quickly she moved closer, her hands scrambling over his body inspecting it for wounds. Her fingers trailed down his chest, running over his muscles till the slipped in still wet blood. She moved her face closer, trying to peer into the dark. From what she could determine by limited sight and touch, the newest wounds had bisected his old scars. A wet, semi dried crust was forming in lumps on his chest. She felt higher for his neck, finding his pulse weak but still there and sighed.

"Jacob," she hissed into the dark, shaking him gently. "Wake up."

He did not stir, pulse not rising either. Sara tapped her ear, hoping to activate her comms unit but finding nothing there but flesh. Dammit, must have been dislodged when they knocked me out, she thought to herself. She peered around in the darkness, trying to fully gauge their surroundings. As far as she could see, they were in a concrete and metal cell. The floor was damp, from blood or moisture, she could not tell. She could hear the ticking and skittering of a small animal running across the floor, probably a rat. With careful movement, she felt for the cell door, finding it with her fingertips and standing up. She inched along the intricate pattern, feeling for any weakness in the twisted together pattern. After a few moments of blindly feeling along, she came to the cell door, running her fingers along its hinges and down to a flat square she hoped was the lock. The metal was rusted and cold, fingers identifying the lock as one from the old cellblock Oliver had mentioned to her that resided on the Lian Yu. Good, she thought to herself, that means were at least somewhere on the island. She gripped the cold metal in both her hands, giving a strong pull on the cell door. It remained closed, defying her. She knelt down, feeling around the damp floor for anything useful, in hopes of picking the lock. Unfortunately, nothing showed itself. Somewhere past the cell bars she heard a door open, giving a flash of light to the cell and momentarily showing Sara her surroundings. Footsteps shuffled closer, a dim light accompanying them. Sara squinted, trying to identify the person. The figure approaching was a young girl, skin as dark as her torturers, her face marred with crossing scars. She couldn't have been more than a teenager, her eyes downcast as she shuffled closer to the cell door. In one hand, she held a small candle, barely giving enough light to dispel the thick darkness. In the other, a small vial filled with a clear liquid.

"Hello there," Sara called in the most calming tone she could muster and trying to smile. "Can you help us?"

"Im only supposed ta give you dis," the girl replied in a quiet voice, holding out the vial of liquid.  
"For ya friend."

"What is it?" Sara asked, slowly reaching for it.

"It make him betta," the girl replied, recoiling in fear the moment Saras fingers touched the vial. "He like to cut on em when they whole."

"The man with the knives?" Sara asked, holding the vial up to her eyes and trying to discern what was in it. "Who is he?"

"I hear him called The Haitian. Him do this," she said, lifting her empty hand to the scars on her face.

Sara uncorked the vial, very carefully taking a sniff of its contents, finding it had no odor at all.

"Give that to ya friend, he make betta," the little girl insisted. "I has to go."

The little girl turned to leave, shuffling a few steps.

"Hey wait," Sara called. "Do you have a key? Can you let us out?"

"Can no do that," the girl replied, without turning around to face Sara. "Him do this again. Give ya friend the drink."

The girl shuffled away, the darkness of the cells creeping back behind her as the dim candle moved farther and farther away. There was another flash of light and a loud thud as the door closed behind her, leaving Sara to wonder. She shook her head in frustration, feeling her way back towards Jacobs body. With some prodding of her fingers, she found his head and held his mouth open, pouring the vials contents into his mouth. He coughed and sputtered as the liquid descended down his throat. Sara waited, hearing nothing happen. She felt down his body, hands searching for any change in his injuries. Her fingers came to the first of his cuts, finding the wound slowly sealing itself shut. She frowned in the darkness, feeling down to the other wounds and finding them doing the same. Lazarus water, she guessed, hoping she was wrong. The Haitian must be connected to The League, but why would they be looking for some drug like Slam? Why would they be here, now? Why didn't they recognized her as one of their own? She pondered the questions, coming up with no answers that made any sense.

Jacob coughed and stirred, breaking Sara from her mental questioning with a groan. He tried to sit up, moaning in pain before laying back down onto the damp concrete. She felt his hands shoot out from his sides, searching around in the darkness and finding her naked thigh.

"Sara?" he coughed, voice horse and wavering.

"I'm here," she assured, reaching down to take his hand and giving it a squeeze.

"Where are we?" he asked, groaning as he tried to sit up again, this time succeeding and sitting with his back to the wall.

"In a cell," she answered. "Still on Lian Yu, i think."

"Haven't you been on the island before?"

"Yes, but not on its entirety. I wasn't here as long as Ollie. He's mentioned there being cells here but ive never seen them."

"Great," he sighed, trying to stand up. "How do we get out?"

"I dont know," she admitted. "There wasn't even supposed to be any people here, Gideon did a check of the timeline and even scanned the Island when we arrived."

"She must have made a mistake somehow. Can't you radio her or something."

"Pretty sure i lost it when they knocked me out," she sighed, leaning her head against the cold concrete wall as she watched his shadow move about. She watched as he took a few steps, shakily at first then standing solid. "How do you feel?"

"Im fine, i guess," he muttered, touching his chest. "Its weird, i know that man cut me with a knife, i can feel where he did but now there's no wound…"

She heard him bump the cell door, cursing low when he did. He took a few more steps, bumping blindly into her leg as he fumbled around in the darkness. She reached up, finding his hand in the darkness and tugged it down, hoping to get him to sit. Thankfully he did, maneuvering his way beside her.

"A little girl came in here not long ago and gave me a vial of liquid. Said it was to make you better." Sara told him. "I think it may have been waters from the Lazarus pit."

"Doesn't the League safeguard them on this earth?" he asked, bewildered.

"They're the only known people aside from Dahmien Dark to have access to it, yes."

"Then why…."

"I don't know Jacob," she hissed, cutting him off. "I have as few answers as you do right now."

Jacob went silent, fumbling around in the dark with his fingers. Darkness and silence poured around them for a few minutes.

"Im sorry kid," Sara sighed, reaching for his hand. "This wasn't supposed to happen."

He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Are you hurt?" he asked turning towards her and trying to look her over in the darkness.

"I've had worse," she laughed, cracking a grin and shrugging. "You were worse off."

She heard him sigh and try to move his hand from hers, instead she reached up and pulled his shoulders towards her, making him lay his head in her lap. He relented, resting his head on her thighs. They sat in silence for a few moments, Sara absently playing with his hair with her fingers.

"Are we going to talk about what happened?" he asked, breaking the silence. "The waterfall…."

"Shhh." she whispered. "Think of a way to get out of here instead."

He sighed, the guilt of his actions weighing heavily on his heart. He closed his eyes, trying to rest his weary mind. His last thoughts before sleep came to him were of Thea and how he ached to see her smile again.

* * *

They were both awakened a few hours later by rough hands pulling Jacobs arms up and shoving him out of the cell door. Jacob groggily tried to make sense of what was happening, only managing to catch a glimpse of several armed persons pointing rifles at Saras face before barking orders to her in a foreign language. The two pulling Jacob hoisted him onto his feet and shoved him through the doors opening. Bright lights flooded his vision, causing him to raise his hands to his eyes and blink in the blinding flash. He stumbled forth, disorientated from sleep. His two escorts shoved him forward again, falling against the cold concrete. He blinked and looked around, finding himself in the same torture room as before, only this time two metal Xs were set up. His escorts grabbed his hands, dragging him forward as the booming man stepped forward with a menacingly large syringe in his hand. He tried to fight, wrenching away from the man but the two held him still. The booming man plunged the syringe into Jacobs neck, emptying its contents into his veins. Jacob tried to pull away but found his body no longer in his control. With a barking order to the escorts, the booming man pulled the syringe from Jacobs neck and turned away as they hoisted him up and chained his arms to the restraints. They laughed as he hung by his wrists, legs dangling uselessly before they rough grabbed them and restrained them as well. Jacobs vision started to fade, the movements around him slowly turning to blurs. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was one of the men hooking a red clamp to the leg of his structure.

* * *

Back in the cell, Sara sat at gunpoint surrounded by several armed guards. The one closest to her was barking in some foreign language she couldn't place. She raised her hands slowly, watching as their weapons followed, along with multiple clicks she could only guess was the safeties being taken off their weapons.

"I don't know if you can understand me," she muttered slowly. "But i can't understand you."

The men all looked around at each other through sideways glances, guns never wavering. One in front of her muttered something to his compatriots before staring back at Sara.

"Up," he grunted, waving the barrel of his rifle in a higher motion.

"Now we're getting somewhere," she snarked, slowly standing up.

She slowly stood, back sliding against the concrete wall. Each of their guns followed her movements, a few of their gazes holding on her chest. The man who spoke earlier grunted again, miming for her to move towards the cell door. She sighed, slowly taking a step forwards. Each man moved with her, barrels never leaving her. The guards in front of her back stepped as she moved, slowly maintaining distance from her. She took another step, moving slowly and watching as they swarmed around her before taking another. Each step forwards was matched by movements of the guards, till they came to the farthest door. The forward most guard held up a hand, signaling Sara to stop as he turned and pulled open the door with a squeak. They closed ranks around her, filling in the vacant spot left by the doorman. She moved forward again, stepping through the door and into the bright light ahead of her, squinting and raising her hand. She took another step, looking over her shoulder to see the doorman shut the door and rejoin the ranks, rifle once again aimed directly at her. One of the men on her back left muttered something in a deep voice, speaking the foreign language again and causing his compatriots behind her to laugh. She rolled her eyes, guessing they may be staring at her ass every step. She focused her eyes ahead of her, finding the room she was tortured previously in coming into view, along with Jacobs body hanging from the same metallic X. She froze upon seeing his unstirring form. She could feel the air thicken with anticipation of her next move, hearing the squeak of flesh on the metal of their triggers. The way they were surrounding her, and with the close proximity, she could easily take a few of them out before they could react, maybe even making her way to unchain Jacob. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, steadying her mind.

Moving as fast as she could manage, she turned to the closet guard on her right, shoving his rifle to the side and slamming into his chest with an open hand. The guard gasped for air, fingers involuntarily releasing the weapon only for Sara to grab it and turn. With all her might, she swung it by the stock, right into the next closest guards face. They finally began to react, rifle barrels turning in her direction, deep voices shouting commands. She connected with the guards face, knocking him down onto the concrete before moving around their circled formation. She caught the next guards rifle and smashed the barrel up into his face, blood spurting from his broken nose before she dropped down and took out his knee with a sweeping kick. She spun around with the momentum, popping up to disarm the next guard. Unfortunately she moved a bit too slow, finding a guard suddenly on her right side bringing his rifle down on her outstretched arm. With a thud, the stock met flesh, causing pain to radiate through her arm and up to her shoulder, dropping the limb down and to her side. She grunted in pain, dropping her shoulder down and charging into the guards chest. Her shoulder hit him square in the sternum, her head cracking into his chin. She winced at the pain, extending now down her right side. The force from her charge threw her and the guard to the ground a few steps away, making her scramble to stand back up. Once she regained her footing, she turned towards the nearest guard, preparing to attack again.

Only to suddenly feel the stinging prick of a needle being shoved into the side of her neck. She instinctively reached up with her left hand, feeling the needle pull out from her skin. She spun to face the new threat, her movements becoming sluggish and her surroundings to spin uncontrollably. The booming man stood, holding an empty syringe and smiling his rotting smile at her.

"What the…." she started, words becoming mush in her mouth.

The man laughed loud and menacingly, smiling as Sara bean to stumble away. After a few seconds she collapsed, eyes filling with terror before slowly closing. The man shouted at the guards on the floor, some holding their bloody hands to their injuries, others still gasping for air. The few unharmed guards hefted Saras body up, chaining it to the open metal X and attaching two electrical clamps just below her feet, before returning to help their comrades to their feet. The booming man laughed again, waving his arms and barking orders at the soldiers. The murmured in acknowledgement and began shuffling out of the room.

Sudden fanfare brought Jacob gasping to his senses. His eyes shot open, looking around the room in panic and realizing where he was. The scene was slightly different from when he was dragged in. Now there were two lights, one hanging directly above him and one hanging above where he saw Sara hanging, coming to her sense as well.

"Ladies and Gentleman!" the man boomed, standing between Jacob and Sara. "The entertainment awakens!"

Low clapping came in response, echoing off the high ceiling.

"Tonight i have for you a treat!" he continued, extending out a hand to them both in introduction. "I present to you, the young lovers, this time as a duo! Tonight we will be adding an extra….spark…"

He turned, gesturing with his hands to where another light flickered on. With a sputter, a small gas powered generator was revealed, two seperate sets of cables trailing from it to both where Jacob was chained and where Sara was. Jacob tried to focus his vision, seeing a gray tube of some sorts running in the opposite direction and into a wall.

"Shall we begin?" The man asked of the crowd, a murmur of acknowledgement giving his answer.

"Now, im going to ask each of you a question," he taunted, turning his attention to Sara and Jacob. "You will answer."

He unsheathed a nasty serrated looking knife from his belt, stepping towards Jacob and waving it infront of his chest.

"If you don't answer, your darling companion will feel the shock of your silence," he hissed at Jacob, his putrid breath wafting with the threat. "Now tell me, where is the production cache."

"No idea," Jacob growled, lunging at the man.

The man laughed, waving a hand to the generators operator. A switch was flipped right as the knife wielder stepped back. Electrical current flooded Jacobs body, causing him to shake and shudder. Sparks flew from the clamp that connected to the structure as the lights dimmed. The man waved his hand again, signalling for the current to stop. Jacobs body sank against the chains, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Your turn, my darling," The man called, turning to Sara and dangling the knife's tip over her breasts. "Will you tell me to save your young companion?"

Sara opened her mouth to say something.

"Dont...say….anything…" Jacob gasped, looking up at her.

She hesitated for a second, but upon seeing the look in Jacobs eyes, closed her mouth and took a silent stare. With a quick jab to her chest, the man waited for an answer. Jacob rattled his chains and tried to break free, anger flowing through his veins. The man sighed, signalling to the operator again. Sparks flew, Jacobs body convulsing and causing the chains to rattle uncontrollably. After a more prolonged burst, the man signalled again, coming to the center ground between the structures.

"It seems i may have to redouble my efforts folks!" The man boomed, drawing a second knife and tossing it into the air.

He spun in a circle, knife coming to its apex before it began to fall back down. The man reached up, caught the knife by its tip and rushed forward in the direction he faced, bringing him yet again to Sara. He brought the knife directly under her chin, presing with enough pressure to break the skin and a small droplet of blood to form.

"Tell me where the cache is!" he boomed, spittle flying from his mouth and landing on Saras face.

Before she could even react, a choking laughter began to ring throughout the room. The man turned, confused, to see it emanating from Jacob.

"Does this get you off?" Jacob choked out, laughing uncontrollably. "Torturing a woman?"

The man's jaw dropped in surprise as Saras eyes grew wide in concern. The crowd hushed in astonishment.

"Your not going to break her," Jacob laughed, spitting on the ground in the mans direction. "She's the strongest person i've ever known."

"But how strong are you?" the man asked, signalling his minion again.

Jacobs body convulsed, his eyes rolling back into his skull as the chains rattled. The burst lasted even longer, lights almost completely dimming to darkness before the man waved his hand again. Jacob groaned gasping for breath.

"Now," he said, turning back to Sara. "Will you talk."

Jacobs laughter began to echo around the room again, this time accompanied by louder murmurs from the viewing crowd.

"You call this torture?" Jacob gasped, spitting the bile from his mouth. "Apparently someone needs a lesson in how to Villian!"

"Jacob…" Sara warned, eyes growing wider.

The man spun around, crossing the distance between them in haste before placing both of his knives on either side of Jacobs throat.

"How stupid can you be?" the man asked in a hushed whisper.

"How weak are you?" Jacob taunted, laughing and looking down at the mans knives. "Better people than you have tried to kill me, one even almost succeeded. You see the scars down my chest? Those were his handy work, and yet i survived."

The man's eyes flared red, removing the knives from Jacobs next and slashing at his chest. Two deep lines appeared on his flesh, blood slowly beginning to well up and trickled down. Jacob winced, but despite the pain began laughing at the man even more.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Jacob taunted.

The man signalled his minion one last time. The electricity sparked and surged, the lights completely dimming out. Blueish white sparks ignited off of Jacobs structure, sending shadows dancing across the walls and ceilings. The lights reflected in Saras eyes, revealing the horror she felt inside. The air was filled with the smell of singed hair and cooking meat, making her almost gag.

With a snap, the current ceased; the overhead lights slowly brightening. Jacobs body stopped convulsing, this time his breathing couldn't be heard. The minion shouted something to the man, gaining his attention and turning to face him. Smoke billowed from the generator causing the minior to rip the cords connections away. The torturer sighed, rubbing his bald oily forehead. He looked up, noticing the silence coming from Jacob. With two fingers pressed to Jacobs now warm flesh, he felt for a pulse. He lowered his hand, turning to Sara and smiled widely.

"It seems your young companions hubris has left him wanting." The man boomed, chuckling deeply in his chest.

Saras eyes widened, anger filling them as she lashed out at him, causing the chains cuffs to dig into her wrists and draw blood. The man laughed at her anguish, stepping back and raising his hands in triumph.

"It seems the young man's death was enough to elicit a response from our fair lady!" he shouted to the crowd, gaining a murmur and a slow clapping to start.

Sara fought against the chains, trying to desperately break free. After no avail, she began to lose hope, settling down and hanging from them. _Jacob_ , she thought to herself, _im sorry. We shouldn't have come here._

"Cut him down," the booming man commanded. "Before he starts to stink."

Sara watched in horror and dismay as two of the man's minions moved forward, undoing Jacobs shackles and letting his body fall with a slump to the concrete.

 _What am i going to tell Thea?_ Sara thought as the began dragging Jacobs lifeless body away.


	18. Rise and Fall

The two burly armed minions grunted as they dragged away Jacobs lifeless corpse, causing dirt to stir up in the room. The one dropped his leg, pushing open a door in front of him before they both resumed on their way. After a few minutes, they arrived at another door, the second thumping at it with his boot. Silence descended on the hall before the sliding of locks and levers split the air and the door swung inward, the smell of decaying flesh and clotting blood wafting out into the hall. The young girl from the cells stood inside, pulling the door back as far as it would allow before the two minions went through. They shoved the girl out of the way, laughing as she stumbled back and fell over. With an audible thud, they chucked the body onto a table nearby, laughing more when the young girl struggled to stand up. Their laughter followed them out of the door, only pausing long enough to spit in the direction of the body. Struggling against its weight, the young girl pushed the door back shut again and began locking the mechanisms. She turned, wiping her hands on a dirty apron she wore around her neck, and began shuffling her way over to Jacobs corpse.

"Him must nota wanted you no more," she sighed clicking her tongue and looking over him.

She stared at his face, taking in the raw emotions burned into his face. The girl had seen many corpses in her short days, usually tending to the remains and making sure they were not found, but this corpse, this man, she found herself struggling with. Her fingers traced the broad lines of his shoulders, feeling the strength that still lay beneath them. _So many scars_ , she thought to herself, touching her own marred flesh as she brushed his. Down his body she went, not with the practiced movements of her usual dismantling, but instead with a lighter touch in awe and sadness. She carefully lifted his hands, rigor mortis not setting in just yet, and slowly opened them. His fingers were long and strong, a few calluses starting to form. _What deeds would these hands have accomplished?_ She asked herself, studying the lines of his palms. She gently laid his hands back at his sides, continuing down his body. Upon her descent, she paused at his feet, seeing the arching patterns of electrical burns. Her mind began to conjure imaginations of his screaming, how he must have writhed in agony. She recoiled, turning away from his corpse in hopes his hauntings would leave her. Unfortunately they did not. Whether or not she looked at the broken body, she could still hear his screams, feel his agony, smell the sickening scent of burning flesh.

With shuffling of her feet, she moved away from the body, coming to a small alcove with a wooden altar. She picked up a small weathered box with faded writing etched into it, pulling forth a match and striking it against the wall. A bright flash sparked the tip into flame, which she cupped in her small hands. She shuffled forwards, lighting a single yellow candle. The flame danced and played with the shadows cast against a carved wooden effigy presenting a group of faces; male and female alike. She closed her eyes, muttering in the same foreign language as the torturing male before she was interrupted by a thumping on the door. With a sigh of disgust, he shuffled to the door, heaving it open with great strain.

The same two minions pushed their way through, this time carrying Jacobs clothes and bow. With a grunt, they threw them in a pile, only to be stopped by the little girl before leaving.

"I can na do it," she declared, balling her fists up and standing her ground in front of them.

"Get out o da way chile!" the front most minion grunted, giving the girl a shove. With considerable effort, she managed to stay rooted to the spot.

"I won't!" she insisted, looking from the minions face to Jacobs body.

"Do ya job chile, or join the pieces." the man snarled, pushing the girl harder, this time sending her stumbling to the floor.

The men laughed, walking past the girl and pulling the door shut behind them.

" _Salauds gluants!_ " she swore deeply, picking herself up carefully.

She shuffled back to her alter, kneeling back down carefully and beginning to pray again.

"Oh holy Loa," she muttered, closing her eyes. "Let de wicked be punished, the wrongs righted."

She felt a small breeze of air flutter around the room, continuing with her prayers. The candle danced and flickered wildly as her words began to flow faster, blurring the line between english and Haitian Creole. Something beside her tool bench moved, sending the rubber squeegee she used to mop up blood crashing down. A row of vials started to roll towards her and bumped against her leg. She opened her eyes, the breeze subsiding and the candles flame slowly resuming its normal pillar. Reaching down to pick up the vial, she noticed they formed a line directly towards where Jacobs body lay. A wicked smile crept across her face, grunting through it as she stood up. She began picking up the vials, clutching them in her little hands before laying them all down beside Jacobs head.

" _sainte loa, protège-moi de la colère, protège-moi de la rétribution,"_ she whispered uncorking the first vial.

She took a breath, forced Jacobs mouth open and began pouring the contents from each vial. One at a time, she uncorked a vial, dumped it and readied the next. Each addition slowly drained from his mouth, permeating his body. Once the final bottle was empty she waited and prayed. She knew the risks, but after years of being a slave under the Haitian had taken its toll. She would have her revenge and the Haitian would lose millions trying to reacquire his supply.

A thumping noise brought her back to focus, eyes fluttering open. The body began writing on the table, rocking back and forth and shaking. She scrambled away in fear.

 _What's happening inside that head?_ She asked herself in terror.

Light swirled around Jacob as he began to feel himself floating, feeling as if his entire body was at peace some how. The last thing he could recall was excruciating pain, the flow of electricity to his body and then nothing but warmth.

 _Jacob…..where are you?_ Called a soft feminine voice around him.

He opened his eyes, looking around him and squinting in the bright lights. His hands were free and with further inspection, completely whole. The clothes he wore were perfect, no holes or even a frey in the collar of his button up shirt. Confusion spread across his face as he looked down at his feet, wiggling his toes and finding everything too was whole.

 _Jacob…._ called the voice again, causing him to look up. A woman stood in front of him, glowing slightly.

 _Mom?_ He called back in disbelief, his voice sounding too perfect in pitch.

Laurel Lance, HIS Laurel stood before him, her visage slowly becoming clearer. She smiled, brushing her hand against his face. He froze in fear; he could actually feel her hand. Reaching up to make sure, he touched it lightly, finding it solid and warm.

 _Im here_. She whispered, lightly brushing his hair.

 _Am i….?_ _Are you…?_ He asked, trailing off and pressing his face into her touch.

She smiled sadly and nodded, bringing her opposite hand up to cradle his face. Tears began to form on his face, sliding down and dropping into nothingness.

 _I failed…._ he whispered, collapsing to his knees and burying his face against her stomach, arms falling helplessly to his side.

 _Shhh. You're home now._ She whispered, brushing her fingers through his hair gently and starting to hum. Despite the comfort of her touch, he was overcome with misery; he knew he had truly failed. Tears began to flow freely from his eyes now.

 _I failed_...he choked out. _I failed you, i failed all of you._

A warm hand appeared on his shoulder, firm and strong. It gripped him and another pulled him to his feet. He turned, guided by them both and coming face to face with his Olliver.

 _Dad..._ he murmured. In an instant, Oliver strong arms were around him. Jacob crumbled, hugging him tightly back.

 _Heya Kiddo,_ Olliver whispered holding him for a second. _It's good to see you again._

 _I failed the city..._ Jacob admitted, letting go as Oliver faced him again.

 _No, my boy_. Oliver sighed. _You made me proud, made us proud. You stood up for your family. You risked everything to try and save Sara._

 _And i failed…_ Jacob sighed. _That man is going to kill her._

 _You don't know that_. Came a third voice, making Jacob spin towards it.

 _Thea..._ he gasped, running towards her and picking her up. He squeezed her to him, limbs threatening to never let go. She squeezed him back just as hard as he spun her around. Slowly releasing his grip, he sat her down, gazing into her beautiful brown eyes before bending down slightly and kissing her deeply. She sighed into his kiss, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and entangling her fingers in his hair. Again and again their lips met in passionate embrace. They broke apart slightly, Thea resting her head against his chest. He nuzzled at her hair, breathing in the familiar scent of her and embracing the bliss of the moment. For what seemed like an eternity, they stood there, neither one wanting to let go. Oliver and Laurel stood by, locked in an embrace of their own and smiling happily at the couple.

 _Thea i..._ he started.

 _Its not your fault,_ she whispered, cutting him off. _I don't blame you for any of it._

 _But I could have_ … he started again.

 _Nothing you could have done, would have saved us._ She said firmly, pushing off of his chest with her hand and staring him directly in the eyes. Her piercing brown gaze made him smile.

 _What happened, happened._ Oliver said, stepping over and putting a hand on Jacobs shoulder. _And it would have happened no matter what._

 _You can't go blaming yourself for things you can't change,_ came Barry's voice as his visage appeared. _It's a hard lesson, but one even i had to learn._

 _We're at peace now,_ came Iris's voice as she joined her husband's side.

One by one, each member of his family appeared around him. First Wally, with his confident and goofy grin, then Jessi, grasping Wally's hand and sticking her tongue out playfully at Jacob. More and more members appeared, Harrison Wells pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose and inclining his head with a smile at Jacob, then Roy Harper saluting with his fingers, then Helena her cocky smirk across her face, Sara and Nyssa hand in hand, Clark and Kara, Ted Kord with his wind swept hair and boisterous smile, Jason and Babs waving both hands in the air and laughing, Tula smiling, Malcolm stepping forward and hugging both Jacob and Thea in a warm embrace, everyone gazing at him proudly. Laurel stepped closer, resting her hand on his other shoulder.

 _You're home now_ , she repeated. _We can be a family again._

They all nodded and murmured in agreement. Jacob smiled and nodded in agreement.

 _A family,_ he whispered, _my family._

Thea smiled, pressing her face deeper into his chest as Jacob closed his eyes and rested against her. Laurel and Oliver began to dance behind them as Jacob heard Joe began to start singing. Thea and Jacob began to sway along with the music, all the couples joining in and dancing as well. Jacob lifted his head and looked around, seeing Jason and Babs laughing and dancing wildly. Wally and Jessi circled around, joined close and kissing each other happily. Roy and Tula were not as close but still they danced together, Tula smiling brightly and Roy holding her gently. Malcolm spun around, Helena trying to hide her smile behind a scowl as they danced. Harrison and Ted were arm in arm, laughing and singing at the top of their lungs. Sara twirled underneath Nyssa's arms, both laughing and merily singing along. Clark and Kara seemed to float, goofily dancing in circles. Jacob smiled.

Thea lifted her head, almost feeling the smile from Jacob.

 _Are you happy?_ She asked, gazing up at him.

 _I….i am._ He admitted, looking down into her eyes. She smiled beautifully, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him. He grinned, embracing the warmth of her lips and placing a hand on the side of her face. The kiss was long and deep, full of love and longing.

Without warning, Thea broke away and sighed darkly. Jacob opened his eyes and looked at her with a frown.

 _What's wrong?_ He asked as she looked away from his gaze.

 _It is coming._ She replied, her voice taking a dark, foreboding tone.

It was at that moment he realized the singing had stopped. He looked around in panic, finding everyone had vanished except for Thea. Thankfully she was still in his arms.

 _Listen,_ she whispered urgently, grabbing both sides of his face in her hands. _You have to promise me something._

 _Thea whats wrong?_ He asked, heart starting to sink as everything around them began to get darker.

 _Just promise me_ , she urged. _Promise me you'll stay alive, try and find the part of me in her._

 _What?_ He asked confused. _What do you mean?_

 _Just promise me!_ She repeated, hands gripping his face tighter and terror showing in her eyes.

 _I promise_ , he assured her, trying to reach for her hand. Something dark and cold began to pull him away from her embrace. He tried to fight it, but nothing he tried succeeded. She began to drift farther and farther way.

 _I love you!_ He yelled, body fighting against the pull and arm barely reaching out for her.

 _Always._ She replied before a bright metallic blade pierced her chest, sending blood spilling out. Prometheus' modulated voice started to boom out, laughing and mixing in with Theas cry of pain. The dark, cold force began to turn his body away, bringing him face to face with Prometheus mask. The mask laughed at him, filling his mind with terror and the modulated torment. The cold began to spread up his body from his feet, creeping slowly higher. As it did so, the voices changed. Prometheus modulated laughter faded and was replaced with a mix of male and female voices speaking in a very strange language that he couldn't place. The cold kept spreading, rising up his chest and making him feel like something was crushing him. Farther and farther it went, filling his throat with a sensation like liquid. He tried to cough, but nothing happened. The voices raised higher and higher, till the cold spread to his head and everything turned black.


	19. Watching Yourself

_Since ive been building up a nice little fan base, i figured a Poll would be in order. If you all would be so kind, give a vote for the next chapter!_

* * *

Jacobs body continued to writhe and shake on the table. The little girls candle suddenly snuffed itself out as the door was forcefully blown open. She quietly started to pray, as the body arched its back. Hands suddenly shot out at its side twisting and fingers dancing wildly. With one last whisper of wind, everything stopped. The little girl slowly and quietly stood up, creeping to the body's side and poking it gently in the arm. Without warning, the body sat up and slowly turned its head at the girl. She fell back with an inadvertent squeak, falling on her backside. The eyes snapped open, revealing pure white globes.

"Es-tu le prestidigitateur de la Loa?" it asked in a deep raspy voice.

(Are you the conjurer of the Loa?)

"I am," she whispered in a hushed voice.

" la vengeance viendra sur les ailes rapides," it replied, swinging its legs from the table and standing up.

(Vengeance will come on swift wings.)

It stood, stretching its arms and legs before stooping down to pickup Jacobs bow and quiver. As and after thought, it picked up Jacobs ruined pants, strapping them on and walking towards the door.

Jacob sat alone, in the cold blank darkness. He snapped his fingers, only for the sound to be muted before it was even made.

 _Where the hell am i?_ he thought to himself, standing up and looking around. He attempted to walk a few paces, finding himself able to move. He felt his legs moving but the cold empty darkness saturated the air around him was constant. Something shifted to his left, causing him to turn and face it. A handsomely dressed man in a red suit walked towards Jacob swinging a cane and whistling an unfamiliar tune. His eyes all but glowed in the darkness, standing out against his coal black skin. He kept twirling his cane as he moved closer, tossing it hand to hand with a flourish after so many steps.

"Well hello der boi!" he called in a loud, heavily accented deep voice.

Jacob tried to reply, mouth forming words yet no sound followed them.

"Ahh my apologies!" he said through a grin, snapping his fingers and causing Jacob to inhale sharply. the sounds finally came.

"Who are you? Jacob asked, breathing in quickly.

"Allow me ta introduuce myself!" he announced taking a step back and posing with his cane. "Ma names Baron Kriminal."

"Baron...Criminal?" Jacob asked raising his eyebrow skeptically.

"Thats Kriminal ma boi, with a K." he laughed sweeping his blood red top hat off his head and bowing.

"Where are we?" Jacob asked.

"Were in your mind, ma boi!" the Baron laughed. "Well your mind adjacent."

"What?" He asked confused.

"Don't you know what i am?" the baron chuckled after seeing jacob shake his head on the negative.

"I am the Loa of Murder," he continued, pronouncing the word like Law and twirling his top hat around. "And i've commandeered your body for a special purpose."

With a twirl of his hat and a wave of his cane, the darkness brightened beside them. Jacob could see his body moving as if he were standing beside it. His quiver was strapped across his chest, his tattered pants hung on his hips and his bow was in hand. The string was pulled back and an arrow already knocked, sighting in on an unsuspecting guards neck.

"Why are you doing this?" Jacob asked, turning his attention back to the Baron. "Why my body?"

"Three simple reasons," he laughed waving his cane and making a large leather armchair appear. "One, i love to murder, its what i do. Two, when de people pray for vengeance or retribution, i come a callin. Lastly, You possess a lil something special in you boi, that extra pizazz, that lil bit a flavor!"

"Something special?" Jacob asked, royally confused.

"Yesm. Something deep down in that funny thing you call ya soul. There's a lil fiiire down there burnin away." he drawled on, sucking on his fingers.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Go on admit it ma boi. You secretly need it, yearn for it." he continued, waving his cane at Jacob.

Jacob stood there, glaring at him in confusion.

"Ohh shush now, this is about to get good. Have a seat boi!." he cooed, summoning up a wooden stool and forcing jacob to sit down.

He watched as his body pulled back the string, releasing an arrow and catching an unsuspecting minion clean through the neck. The arrow ripped through the flesh, blood spurting forth and the guard hitting the floor. Onward he went, catching two more guards coming around a corner. They shouted out in their foreign language, raising their weapons. Unfortunately for them, they moved too slow. Jacob watched as his body knocked two arrows, drawing back with blinding speed and ripping through each of their throats. The guards gargled around the sudden blockings in their windpipes, reaching up in surprise as their lifeblood oozed out around their hands. With audible thumps, they hit the ground, joining their comrade. A blaring alarm began to ring out, echoing around the corridor as Jacobs body moved forwards. Another guard seemingly came out of nowhere, tackling Jacobs body around the midsection and sending them both sprawling to the ground. Another guard came running up behind them, raising his rifle and preparing to pull the trigger. The two rolled on the ground for a second, before Jacobs body managed to gain the upper hand, putting the guard in a human shield position. The opposing guard muttered something under his breath before letting loose a storm of bullets. Jacobs body ducked behind the guard he held, bullets ripping apart the guards armoured vest and tearing into his body. He let go of the now corpse, knocking an arrow and catching the rifleman in the shoulder, causing him to stumble backwards. The guard let out a grunt of pain before the archer was on him, ripping the arrow out of his shoulder and slamming it sideways through his neck. The tip sliced through the carotid artery and added to the rain of blood. Two more guards rushed him, one on each side. The left knocked the bow from his hands as the right shoved him to the wall. Jacobs body let out a mercilessly loud laugh as it overpowered both guards easily, reaching out and pulling a tactical knife from the left's shoulder sheath and stabbing it up through the rights jaw. The guard on the lefts eyes widened in horror, fumbling backwards and falling over onto his back. Jacobs body leapt up, landing on the guards chest and sank the knife down again and again. Long strings of flowing blood were sent flying into the air every time the knife came up, leaving crimson lines of carnage across the walls. He sank the knife down one last time, leaving it stick up from the dead guards chest as he picked up his bow.

"Mmm," The Baron cooed, sucking his teeth greedily. "Now that was a tasty morsel, im ready for seconds. How bout you?"

Jacob sat silently in defiance, refusing to give into the Barons ploy.

"No?" The Baron asked, tisking at his silence. "Well open wide ma boi, here it come."

The Haitain turned towards the door to the preceding corridor, hearing the gunshots and the anguished cries of dying men. He signalled the two guards he had posted just inside the door and ordered them to check it out. While walking over to a switch on the wall and throwing it, illuminating the entire room.

"Ladies and Gentleman," he boomed, addressing the crowd on the balcony. "It seems we are having a small security issue, if you would be so kind, please exit the viewing area and proceed to your exits."

The crowd murmured with disappointment, slowly heading to where two guards were ushering them to a flight of stairs. One after the other, they began the ascent, clearing the upper balcony until there were only a handful of guards standing near the rails. On the Haitians order, they aimed their rifles at the entry door, laser dots speckling it.

"A security issue?" Sara laughed, spitting blood out of her mouth and dangling from her chains.

"Shut up," The Haitian hissed, slamming his fist into the side of Saras face again. Her head bobbed for a second before slumping down; he had knocked her unconscious.

Four more men swarmed into the room, posting up beside the haitian and adding their rifle targets to the dots on the door. More bullets fired outside the door, the noise getting closer after each shot before turning to silence The guards all looked at each other with sideways glances.

"Whatever come through that door," The haitian boomed, nodding to it. "I want you to riddle with holes."

The guards all murmured their acknowledgement before flipping off the safeties on their weapons. Something slammed against the door, making it shake and causing the guards to all step back slightly. They shook their heads and recovered, stepping back forwards, fingers eagerly resting on the trigger.

The door suddenly burst forth, metal and wood splintering and scattering everywhere. In the dust, a shadow was seen rushing forward and collapsing. The guards all sighted on the shadow, laser dots tracing its movement and releasing a massive storm of bullets. The shadow stumbled and fell, collapsing just a few feet away from where The Haitian stood.

"Hold your fire!" He yelled over the thunderous echo, waving his hand and trying to clear the dust collecting in the room. The guards complied, releasing their triggers and raising their rifles.

The haitain signalled two of his guards forwards, commanding them to reveal their target. They crept forward slowly, rifles aimed directly at the shadow. As the dust cleared, they could see it was one of their comrades, flipping the body over to confirm. Strapped to the mans chest, were a row of small green metallic orbs with yellow writing on them. M67 Fragmentation Grenade shown up at them in bright yellow lettering, as the movement from the body caused their levers to fly off with a slight ping. The guards eyes widened in horror as they tried to dive out of the way. Shrapnel and chunks of the downed body went flying in all directions, sending up a cloud of dust and red mist. The shockwave from the explosion rattled the remaining guards as they fumbled around to shield their eyes. Through the dust and red mist, several arrows whistled, hitting their marks with a sickening squelch. Down went four guards, three more fell back injured with arrows sticking out of their armor. Another shadow darted into the room, ducking behind the ramshackle generator.

"What are you waiting for? Shoot him!" The Haitian boomed, waving his arms at Jacobs body.

The guards seemed to snap to their senses, each unloading a torrent of bullets through the dust in his direction. Rounds ricocheted off the generator sending sparks and bits flying all around as The Baron controlled Jacobs body to wait. One of the minions stopped firing, his weapon giving out the tell tale clicks of being empty. A grin came to Jacobs face, mirroring the exact one the Baron sported. Knocking an arrow and leaning carefully around the shredded generator, he sighted on the minion as he reloaded. The arrow whistled through the air before it came to a stop, embedded in the minions chest. Blood slowly flowed out as the man collapsed to the floor. Jacobs body bolted out from behind the generator as the remaining men standing fumbled to reload their empty weapons. The closest one to the generator didn't even make it to where his next magazine sat in his harness before Jacobs body was on him, knocking him to the ground and stabbing him through the eye with a fresh arrow. Blood poured from the socket as the man let out a shrill scream of terror, being silenced with a slash across the neck. Jacob watched as his body targeted the next man, leaving one in between himself and his target. He let the arrow fly, hitting its mark in the man's adam's apple before he shot forward and kicked the legs out of the man before him. Both men fell slowly, Jacobs body working with blinding speed to dispatch them both in the most painful of ways. He reached up, ripping the arrow from the second mans chest and stabbing the closest in the temple with it. Blood spilled from the man's chest, following Jacobs movement and joining the spray from the first man's head. He ripped the arrow back out and brought it back down again, shattering the shaft. The last two men had successfully reloaded and were raising their rifles when he turned. He spun around, loading an arrow and letting fly. It found its mark in a mans shoulder, causing him to spin around and unleash his freshly loaded rifle on his comrade. The targeted man pulled his own trigger in his death moment, barrel rotating and waving around the room. The gun clicked empty as its owner lay still on the floor. Jacobs body walked up to the injured man, pulling the arrow free. The man tried to backpedal as he lay there, begging for his life. An evil smirk passed Jacobs face as he slowly loaded the arrow onto his bow string, pulling back and slamming the arrow into the man's heart. He jerked from the force of impact, silently dying. Jacobs body jerkily straightened up, turning to face The Haitian.

"Mmmm mmm," The Baron cooed, standing up theatrically. "Now my boi, wasnt that delicious?"

He turned to Jacob, looking at him expectantly.

"Ya know it's rude to not answer someone," The Baron taunted, twitching his fingers and making Jacob choke.

"What do you want from me?" Jacob managed to gasp out.

"Well an answer for starters," He chortled menacingly. "After that, i want you to admit you enjoyed the show. Embrace that fire in ya guts."

Jacob glared at him in silence till The Baron lifted his fingers again, readying to make him talk.

"I enjoyed it…" Jacob whispered, hanging his head in shame.

"What was that?" He called, holding a hand to his ear in a condescending gesture.

"I enjoyed it." Jacob repeated, louder this time. "They deserved to die."

"Oh really?" The Baron laughed. "And whys dat?"

"They stood by as that bastard tortured me, tortured Sara." Jacob growled, balling up his fists and looking up at him.

"Yesm, they did." The Baron confirmed, grinning from ear to ear. "And dey've tortured, raped, maimed and decimated towns for their organization. Ordinarily, id have absolutely no quarrel with them, dey're my kinda folks. But when it comes to children, especially the children with families who pray to the rest of us Loa, i come a callin."

"They done this to children?" Jacob asked, outraged.

"Scores on scores," He confirmed again, stretching his hands out wide. "Including the little girl who arranged our little meeting."

Jacob stood up and swore deeply, muttering something under his breath.

"Come now ma boi," The Baron chuckled. "Speak up."

"I want to do it," He growled louder, eyes full of rage.

"Come on," The Baron urged. "Say de words."

"I want to kill them, i want to control it. You say i've got a fire in me, let me show you the inferno."

"Yes!" The Baron crowd, raising both his hands and his cane up in the air. "Finally ma boi! Let's put you in de driver's seat!"

With a wave of his cane, the darkened viewing room started to rumble and twist. Jacobs vision went blurry or a second, watching the Baron wave his cane in a circle. He stumbled forward slightly, having to adjust his eyes to the familiar surroundings of the massacre he was just a spectator to. Looking around, he affirmed he was in control, flexing his fingers and testing his own motions.

 _I wouldn't lie to ya, ma boi,_ he heard the Baron speak in his head. _Unleash the inferno._

Jacob looked up, seeing The Haitian slowly backing away from him. He took a few steps forwards, making the bald man shuffle his feet and trip over one of the mutilated bodies. Down the Haitian went, calling out as he hit the ground. Jacob found himself grinning as he approached the man, grabbing him from the front of his shirt and swinging his bow hand as hard as he could at his head. It took two punches to knock the man out, but the crimson stain on Jacobs knuckles gave him satisfaction. He grabbed the man's pant leg, dragging his unconscious body to where he had been hanging just hours before. With a bit of effort, he managed to string the body up on the restraints, making sure they were secure. He walked around the room, pulling what arrows he could salvage from the bodies before standing in front of the Haitian. He pulled an arrow from his quiver, knocking it and drawing back. After a second, he let loose. The arrow sank into The Haitians flesh, waking him up to the roar of pain and screaming. His head bobbed from right to left, trying to shake off the grogginess.

"So the torturer becomes the victim," Jacob spat bitterly, knocking a second arrow.

The Haitian blinked, weakly rattling the chains as he tried to move. Jacob took aim at the mans leg, letting the arrow fly. With a resounding crack and an erratic scream of pain from The Haitian, the arrow struck bone and severed the man's achilles tendon. The man wimperd, leg thrashing about and causing blood to spurt from the wound. A haunting smile crept to Jacobs face as he knocked a second arrow and aimed for the opposite leg. The explosive sound of bone breaking echoed again accompanied by another scream of pain. Jacob continued on, unleashing arrow after arrow into the man's limbs, drawing a circle of pain around The Haitians body as he went, spearing each hand before moving back down to add an arrow into each of the man's thighs and so on.

When he came down to his last arrow, he hesitated. The Haitian hung secured on the metal X, slowly creating a pool of blood at its base. He barely moved, his breath barely making a sound.

 _Finish him_ , The Baron urged in Jacobs mind. _Kill him like he killed you._

Jacob raised his bow, knocking the final arrow and aiming for where the man's heart should be.

 _Kill him!_ The Baron screamed, voice booming inside Jacobs mind.

"Please…" The Haitian whispered, barely making his voice audible. "Please help me…"

"Like you helped me?" Jacob shot back, pulling the string to his cheek. "Like you helped Sara?"

"I wasn't talking to you, boy." The Haitian groaned, barely moving his head.

 _Kill him already!_ The Barons voice screamed again inside Jacobs mind, making it feel like his head was going to explode.

Jacob released the string, the arrow seemingly flying in slow motion as it launched forwards and floated in midair for a few seconds. Jacob watched as it slowly pierced the Haitians chest, a small stream of blood dripping down his ruined shirt. The Haitian lifted his head, eyes widening for half a second before closing for good.

 _Well my boi,_ The Baron chortled. _My work here is done._

Jacob felt a sudden pressure on his chest before a startling breeze blew through the room. He felt like a giant weight had been lifted off his body, causing him to stumble down to his knees. No longer could he hear or feel the Barons presence in him. He looked down at his hands, both covered in blood before looking around the room. Suddenly he felt great remorse, seeing the mutilated corpses. The stench of clotting blood began to rise to his nostrils.

 _I did this_ , he thought to himself silently, a sudden ringing starting to creep to his ears.

He let go of his bow, the sound of it clattering to the ground overcome by the ringing in his ears. Horror began to soak into his mind, the haunting actions beginning to reply in his mind as if he were watching them happen again. He turned his head and looked around the room, stopping when he saw Sara hanging from the opposite torturing platform, fully awake and looking at him in horror.


	20. 4th of July Special

Since its the 4th of july for we american folks, i decided to do a happier little piece from Jacobs past. Hope everyone is having a safe holiday with family and not replacing any fingers. Enjoy!

* * *

 _4th of July, Queen Estate, Earth 119_

 _Laurel Lance and Jacob slowly stepped out of their vehicle, closing the doors behind them with a metallic thud. The young boys eyes darted around at all the new people across the sprawling grounds of the Queen Estate. Loud music drifted over to them from speakers set up just outside of the pool accompanied by the aromatic smell of grilling meats. Loud laughter from adults and the sounds of children playing intermingled with the music. Laurel took a few steps in front of the car, pausing and looking back. The young boy stood hesitantly beside the car door, left hand still touching the car. Laurel smiled sadly and waved him over._

" _Its ok," She reassured him, giving him a smile and holding out a hand for him._

 _He heitantly shuffled forward, taking her hand gently. She pulled him close, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and urging him forward. Oliver Queen spotted them across the green, waving a hand in the air and walking over towards them. Laurel smiled brightly, waving with her free hand._

" _Hey gorgeous," he greeted her happily before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek._

" _Hey yourself," she giggled._

" _Heya Kiddo," Oliver chuckled, ruffling Jacobs hair. Jacob looked up and glared at Oliver for a minute before a small smile crept to his face._

" _Hey," he replied quietly._

" _You alright?" Oliver asked, kneeling down and looking him in the eyes._

" _Lots of people," Jacob muttered quietly, eyes darting around at all the new faces._

" _Dont worry," Oliver said, squeezing his shoulder in a comforting manor. "No one here will hurt you. I think i saw Wally and Jessi over by the pool…"_

 _A bright smile jumped to Jacobs face as he looked up in a wordless question to Laurel._

" _Go ahead," she answered smiling at him._

 _Jacob ducked under Oliver's arm and rushed off towards the pool. Oliver stood up laughing before pulling Laurel into his arms. He bent down at the neck and planted a deep passionate kiss on her lips. Laurel sighed, wrapping her arms around him and embraced him with equal affection._

" _How's he really doing?" Oliver asked after breaking the kiss._

" _The nightmares are getting worse," Laurel sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "Sometimes two or three times a night."_

" _It'll be alright," Oliver assured her, brushing her hair with a hand and kissing her forehead. "The little guy went through a lot. How are you doing?"_

" _Im just worried about him," She whispered, smiling at his kiss._

 _Jacob ran as fast as he could, trying his best to duck and weave around people as we went. He heard the splashing of water and tried to work his way around everyone. Unfortunately, he wasn't as quick as he hoped, colliding with the tanned legs of a leggy brunette. A fruity drink rained down on him as the owner stumbled back a step. The smile vanished from his face as he looked up apologetically at the woman._

" _Im sorry," he mumbled, fiddling with his fingers._

" _Its ok," the woman laughed, reaching over to a tall standing tabletop and grabbing a napkin. She wiped the liquid from her hand before setting the drink down and kneeling down to Jacob's level. She reached forwards with a napkin to wipe the spilled drink off of Jacobs face, only for him to recoil a step._

" _Where are you off to in such a hurry?" She asked pulling her arm back._

 _Jacob silently pointed over to the pool._

" _Heading for the pool huh?" she asked, smiling as Jacob nodded once. "What's your name?"_

" _Jacob." He replied firmly._

" _Well Jacob, my names Helena," She explained, holding her hand out to him slowly. He grasped her hand quickly, giving her a quick shake before pulling his hand back._

" _You've got a little something right here, Jacob." She pointed out where on her face._

 _He raised up a hand and brushed it across his face quickly, completely missing where she indicated._

" _Here let me," she giggled, slowly raising her hand holding a napkin. This time he didn't recoil as far. She slowly and gently brushed the napkin across his cheek, wiping away the spilled drink._

" _There, that's better." She smiled brightly, eyes giving off a warm and kind addition to her smile as she winked at him. "Try to slow down a bit."_

 _He nodded quickly before slipping around her and working his way through the crowd. Helena stood up, laughing to herself and watching after the boy. He ran a few paces away before spotting two other younger kids and dashing towards them._

" _Ever think of having one of your own?" Came a mans voice from behind her._

 _Helena turned around quickly, coming face to face with a tall man in a light grey suit. His hair was combed to perfection by what Helena knew was a professional hairdresser. His hands held a single tumbler filled with what smelled like bourbon. A warm smile lit up his face as he took a sip of his drink._

" _Malcolm." She acknowledged as she nodded to him._

" _It seems my daughter isn't the only one who has taken an interest in that young man," he chuckled._

" _Whos is he?" she asked,._

" _I do believe he is Laurel's son."_

" _Laurels...son?" she asked flabbergasted. "I didn't even know she was pregnant."_

" _Heavens no." Malcolm laughed. "She adopted him after the tragic incident with Prometheus."_

 _That figures, she thought to herself, leave it to Laurel Lance to act like a saint._

" _That poor boy," she cooed, smiling sadly. "To witness something so morbid."_

" _Would you like another drink, my dear?" Malcolm asked, noticing her empty hand and offering her his elbow in escort._

" _Mmm, why not?" she murmured, breaking her gaze away from the child and allowing him to lead her away._

 _Jacob spotted Wally's bright red hair waving in the breeze where he sat with his feet in the pool, his bright yellow shirt rippling and dotted with water. He ran as fast as he could towards him, seeing Jessi turn and start waving her hand in the air. She hopped up, spraying Wally with water from her feet as she rushed over to meet Jacob. The two met halfway, laughing and hugging each other happily. Wally watched after Jessi and once seeing Jacob, jumped up himself to run over and join in the hug. He moved a bit faster than he realized, almost tackling his two friends and sending all three of them tumbling into the grass. They rolled a few paces before coming untangled and scattering around. The children laughed merrily, clothing now grass stained as the adults looked on and smiled happily._

" _We looked everywhere and couldn't find you," Jessi laughed, crawling over closer to Jacob and Wally._

" _Dad said you were for sure coming," Wally explained, brushing his shaggy red hair out of his face._

" _Im here," Jacob nodded firmly, smiling as his friends._

 _The trio lay in the grass, laughing together as a group of teenagers kept a watchful eye on them from afar. The group consisted of a tall redheaded boy with a short buzzcut, a dark haired boy sporting a pair of dark sunglasses, and two very peculiar teenagers with strange tattoos on their skin, holding hands._

" _Kids," the redhead laughed, taking a drink from a soda can in his hand._

" _Wasn't long ago, that was us Roy," the young man in the sunglasses commented, smirking._

" _Is that the boy Laurel took in?" The taller of the peculiar teenagers asked in a deep male voice._

" _His names Jacob," Sunglasses commented._

" _It is good to see him smiling," The female of the two admitted, leaning against her companion._

" _Much so after his ordeal," He agreed, squeezing the females hand._

 _A younger looking redhead approached the teenagers, followed by a slightly younger boy with jet black mid length hair and gently pulling on the young man with the sunglasses elbow._

" _Dick, Jason and I are bored," she whined. "We barely know anyone here."_

" _Why don't you go play with Wally and Jesse?" He asked, slightly annoyed and nodding over to the trio._

" _Whos that boy with them?" She asked, squinting in the sunlight._

" _Why don't you go and ask him?" DIck shot back, annoyance showing on his face._

" _I guess we could," She admitted, turning around to Jason and raising an eyebrow. The boy shrugged his shoulders in indifference._

" _Be nice," Roy called after the two as they started to walk away._

" _Im always nice," Barbara quipped turning around and sticking her tongue out at him._

" _I wasn't talking to you," He retorted, shooting a glare at Jason, who rolled his eyes back._

 _Dick laughed heartily as Roy continued to glare at the young man._

" _That kids a royal pain in the…." He started before Dick stopped him mid sentence with a hand on his arm._

" _Hey," Dick warned. "That's my little brother."_

 _The couple laughed at the two boys, exchanging dirty looks at each other before smiles and laughter broke through._

 _The two younger siblings walked over to where Jacob, Wally and Jessi were laying on their backs in the grass, staring up into the clouds and pointing._

" _Hey there!" Barbara piped up. "Whatchu doin?"_

" _Watching clouds," Wally said through a grin._

" _You two want to join us?" Jessi asked, sitting up on her elbows._

" _Sure!" She squeaked, kneeling down beside Jacob._

" _Jacob hasnt seen a single animal yet," Wally pointed out, nudging his shoulder and laughing_

" _Oh?" She asked, looking from the clouds to Jacob._

" _Don't see it," he muttered, shrugging._

" _Hi!" she enthusiastically put in, offering her hand out to Jacob. "Im Babs, this is my little brother Jason."_

 _He looked at her hand for a second before looking up into her eyes. They emitted a warm happy feeling from them as he took her hand and shook it gently. Her skin was really soft but strong for a young lady._

" _Jacob," he offered, smiling back and giving a small wave to Jason; Jason smiled back quickly before laying down in the grass wordlessly._

" _Well Hi Jacob!" she giggled, blushing a bit before laying beside him. "Where are you from?"_

" _Star City," he muttered._

" _Oh really?" she asked, sitting up on her elbows to face him. "Jason and I are from Gotham, have you ever been there?"_

 _He wordlessly shook his head, letting the young girl go on._

" _It's sort of like Star City but has a bit more crime in it, sort of a weird darkness to it as well," she went on. "Have you ever met The Black Canary? I think she's really awesome, my dad tells me stories about her all the time."_

" _I have," he muttered, smiling. "Shes my mother."_

" _What?! No way!" she squeaked, fangirling. "But you don't look anything like her?"_

" _Jacobs adopted," Wally put in, earning a smack and a glare from Jessi. Jacobs smile disappeared and his face darkened a shade._

" _What?" He asked, a clueless frown creeping to his face as he brushed out his red hair._

" _Laurel adopted him," Wally went on. "After a real bad man did something really really bad. But on the good side, we got a brother."_

" _Nice save Wally," Jessi groaned, shaking her ringlets._

" _Oh! Im sorry," Babs consoled Jacob, blushing and fiddling with her fingers. "Jason and I are adopted too. So is our big brother Dick."_

 _Jason snorted where he lay, gaining a glare from Babs._

" _Its not a bad thing," she admitted, turning her attention back to Jacob. "I like to think of it as a good thing. We get to be a part of some of the greatest men and women in the world!"_

" _I guess," Jacob muttured, staring firmly up at the clouds._

 _Babs looked Jacobs face over, confused by his sudden change in emotion. She quietly laid back beside him and stared up at the clouds, silence breaking when Wally pointed out a lopsided bunny._

" _What are you kids doing laying in the grass on such a hot day?" Came Moira Queens voice as she walked over._

" _Grandma Moira!" Jacob gasped as he bounced up and ran to hug her._

" _Hello sweetheart," She cooed, pulling him tightly into a warm hug and kissing the top of his head._

 _The rest of the children all began standing up, brushing the grass off their clothing._

" _Hi misses Queen!" Wally cheered while Jessi gave a happy wave._

" _Hello Wally, Jessi." She replied, smiling happily as she slowly let go of Jacob. "Why don't you guys go for a swim?"_

" _Come on!" Wally insisted, turning to Babs and Jason._

" _There's a new swimsuit for you in the poolhouse," She advised Jacob, giving him a nudge in the direction. "Do your friends need swimsuits?"_

" _I have one on already misses Queen." Babs mentioned, tugging at a light blue material under the collar of her shirt, Jason nodded silently. "Bruce says to always be prepared."_

" _Oh goodness," Moira laughed smiling at them all._

" _Last one there is a rotten egg!" Jessi cheered, taking off before the others had even turned._

" _No fair, Quick!" Wally called, running after her. Babs followed along laughing as Jason silently complied._

 _Jacob hesitated, turning to look after the group of youngsters then back to Moira._

" _Go on!" she urged, waving at him happily. He smiled brightly at her before turning and running into the pool house._

 _Robert Queen stood with a large brown cigar stuck in his mouth, a tumbler of bourbon in his hand while talking to another older gentleman with dark black hair and thick rimmed glasses. An old wooden box lay on the bartable between them._

" _I disagree, Harrison," He said around the cigar, stirring his drink absently in his hand. "When the market bounces back next Quarter, i would not have Queen Industries name being accused of thinking about profit margins over its employees._

" _But Robert," Harrison argued, pulling his glasses off and cleaning the one lens. "How do you intend to stay in business, let alone please your investors without cutting your workforce?"_

" _Are you asking as an Investor yourself?" He asked, removing his cigar to take a sip from his glass._

" _You wound me," Harrison shot back with a glare. "Im asking as your friend, which seem to be in short supply as of late."_

" _As it so happens, I seem to have found another." He admitted as he gave a wave to a tall dark haired man with extremely broad shoulders. The man smiled as he walked up._

" _Harrison Wells, i'd like you to meet Bruce Wayne."_

" _Bruce...Wayne. As in Wayne Enterprises?" Harrison asked, frowning slightly._

" _I have heard of you as well Doctor Wells." Bruce admitted, extending a strong hand forwards in greeting. Harrison shook it, taking note of the man's grip. "It's an honor to meet you in person."_

" _Likewise. Would you please talk some sense into Robert?"_

" _As it happens," Robert interrupted. "Bruce has graciously offered to form a partnership with Queen Industries."_

" _Despite the city's problems, a few of us in Gotham happen to think the same way as Robert here. The people should always come first. A partnership between our companies would eliminate the need for any loss of workforce and would increase both in value" Bruce pressed, folding his hands in front of him._

" _And what of STAR Labs?" Harrison asked frowning._

" _I fully intend to extend the partnership to you as well, Doctor Wells." Bruce admitted. "No one can come close to the research and ingenuity of your company, not to mention the importance of your discoveries."_

" _Why didn't you tell me about this sooner, Robert?" Wells asked, surprise showing on his face as he raised his eyebrows._

" _For that reason right there," Robert laughed, pointing at Wells. "I wanted to see that genuine look for myself."_

" _A toast gentleman," Robert offered, sliding the lid off of the wooden box in front of him and pulling out an extremely old bottle of malt liquor from inside. He broke the aged seal on the bottle, removing its cork and pouring a small amount into three tumblers in front of him and raising one in salut. "To the continued welfare of our companies, the beginning of an important partnership and the continuation of our friendship"_

" _Here here," Bruce agreed, raising his own and taking a sip._

 _Harrison mimicked the movement, taking a drink himself and sighing._

" _That is excellent," He commented, taking another drink._

" _Single malt, aged 52 years." Robert explained, pouring more._

 _Laurel Lance sat in a reclining chair, sipping from tall drink with an umbrella in it while absently listening to the other ladies chat around her. Sara Lance sat directly to her right, while Iris West-Allen sat on her left, applying sunscreen to her pale face and trying to avoid getting it in her bright red hair. Sara leaned forwards, squinting her eyes at her sister before smacking her with a rolled up towel._

" _What?" Laurel gasped, almost spilling her drink and glaring at her sister._

" _Iris just asked you a question, geez," She grumbled._

" _Oh," Laurel muttered in embarrassment, shaking her head. "Im sorry Iris, spaced out."_

" _Its alright," Iris laughed, rubbing more sunscreen on her arms. "Being a first time mother will do that to you."_

 _Laurel sighed and set her drink on the small table sitting between her and Sara before shaking her head and rubbing her eyes, sending her hair dancing around._

" _Everything alright?" Iris asked in a concerned tone._

" _You look a little tired," Sara addressed, looking her sister over._

" _I am…" she admitted with a sigh. "Jacobs still having nightmares, he keeps waking up in the middle of the night screaming."_

" _Did you try singing that song my dad taught you?" Iris asked gently._

" _Every time he wakes up," Laurel confirmed. "It calms him enough to sleep again but a few hours later he's awake screaming again."_

" _Can you really blame the kid?" Sara asked quietly. "I've seen pictures of that crime scene, it shook me a little."_

" _It just takes time," Iris said, placing a hand on Laurels arm and trying to reassure her. "Be patient with him."_

" _I know," Laurel replied, taking Iris's hand and smiling. "I love him. I'm just worried that i'm not doing enough to help him."_

 _Their conversation was cut short by a sudden burst of wind and a bright yellow blur of lightning whizzed by. Barry Allen suddenly appeared next to Iris, causing Sara and Laurels drinks to shimmy on table, threatening to walk off completely._

" _Dammit Barry!" Sara grumbled, scrambling to catch the two drinks before they spilled._

" _Sorry," he laughed, grinning merrily before turning to Iris and giving her a big smooch. "Hey beautiful."_

" _Hi back," she giggled, brushing her hand against his cheek and kissing him back._

 _Laurel reached for her drink, barely lifting it up before a set of burley arms quietly snaked their way down her shoulders till they grabbed both of her hands. She looked up, seeing Oliver standing above her, shirtless and sporting a goofy grin._

" _You too?" she asked, raising a hand to scratch the scruff of his beard._

" _Well yea," he chuckled, leaning down and planting a kiss on her lips. She sighed into his embrace, pulling him down closer._

 _Sara rolled her eyes and smiled._

" _Hi Ollie," She muttered, feigning annoyance._

" _Hey Sara," he replied, not taking his eyes off Laurel as he kissed her again._

" _Where's Nyssa?" He asked once Laurel let him go, walking around and scooting Laurels feet so he could sit on the end of her reclining chair._

" _League Business," she grunted, tossing her drink back and standing up. "You guys want another?"_

 _Laurel shook her head as the rest murmured their agreement. Sara saluted with her glass and walked off towards the bar. Oliver raised an eyebrow at Laurel, who in turn shrugged._

" _Hey where are the kids?" Barry asked Iris, looking around. Iris raised a hand up to shield her eyes as she scanned around the area._

" _They're over there by the pool," Oliver remarked, nodding in their direction._

 _Laurel looked over, seeing Wally and Jessi splashing around as Jacob sat with just his feet in the water with Barbara beside him. She smiled to herself, glad to see Jacob laughing and smiling._

" _Thea better watch out," Iris laughed, nodding to the young redhead sitting next to Jacob. "It seems another lady's taken an interest in our little bird."_

" _Nah," Oliver laughed along with Barry. "I bet you any money those two get married someday. He's all Thea can talk about these days."_

" _Where is she?" Laurel asked, looking around the crowed._

" _Probably still fussing with Raisa about what to wear," He laughed._

 _A loud splash accompanied by the children yelling snapped Laurels attention to where the kids were playing. The spot where Jacob had been sitting was now empty, instead Jason stood, a weird grin plastered all over his face. Laurel sat up in alarm, seeing Jacob floundering in the water, sending waves ripping around as he thrashed._

" _Oliver," she hissed, pushing on his shoulders. "He cant swim."_

 _Oliver bolted upright, taking a few steps towards the pool as fast as he could before a bright bluish light surrounded Jacobs thrashing body in the water. Oliver hesitated for a second, looking around for the source, seeing one of the teenagers running closer, his tattoos glowing brightly the same color as the water. The young man raised his hands, lifting an orb of water from the pool with Jacob inside and maneuvering it to solid ground. Moving his arms slowly, the young man gently sat the orb on the ground and rush over. His tattoos momentarily stopped glowing and the orb of water splashed free on the ground, rushing back into the pool. Jacob thrashed around, gasping for air as the second teenager rusher over and took hold of his head._

" _Lie still," she urged, her tattoos glowing like her partners as he knelt down beside them both._

" _I will try to extract the water from your lungs," The male insisted, laying his hands on Jacobs chest as his tattoos began to glow again. He slowly moved his hands up Jacobs chest and over his head as Jacob coughed up a string of water. The young man lifted his hands, pulling the string with him and manipulating it into a ball before flinging it over into the grass. Both the teenagers tattoos slowly dimmed as Jacob gulped down lungfuls of air._

" _Thank….you…" He gasped, looking from the young man to his companion._

" _You are most welcome young one," The female smiled down at him, brushing drops of water from Jacob's face._

" _Who...are...you." Jacob asked breathlessly._

" _I am Kaldur'ahm," The young man replied, smiling and placing a webbed hand on his own chest. "And this is my fiancee, Tula."_

 _The female, Tula, smiled sweetly down at Jacob, helping him sit up._

" _Strange names," Jacob remarked, frowning. "How did you…"_

" _We are Atlantean," Kaldur laughed, holding out his arm and showing Jacob his tattoo; it snaked and twisted up both his arms shaped like an eel. "We have ways of manipulating our natural environment."_

 _Oliver rushed over as Jacob was tracing his fingers across both Tulas and Kaldurs tattoos, completely awestruck by the shape and design. He knelt down and looked Jacob over._

" _You alright, Kiddo?" He asked, eyes flickering all over._

 _Jacob nodded, shaking slightly while trying to stand; Tulas hands didn't leave him till she was sure he wouldn't fall. Oliver too stood, turning to Kaldur and grasping him by the shoulders._

" _Thank you Kaldur, I owe you one," Oliver remarked._

" _Think nothing of it," He responded smiling and waving a webbed hand._

" _What the hell were you thinking?!" Came a loud voice from behind them both. They turned to see Dick dragging Jason away by the scruff of his neck. "The kid can't swim, you little idiot!"_

 _Bruce rushed over, quietly muttering something to them both before escorting them away from the crowd. He paused, turning back around and calling for Babs. She jumped up, rushing past everyone before turning around and stopping in front of Jacob._

" _Im sorry about Jason," she muttered, looking down at her feet. "Sometimes he…"_

 _Bruce called for her again, making her look up, her eyes starting to fill with tears before she turned around and ran off. Bruce gave an apologetic look towards Oliver before resting his hand on Babs shoulder and escorting all three away from everyone. The crowd began to resume their conversations and behaviors as Wally and Jessi hopped up out of the pool. Kaldur gave Jacob a warm smile before he turned away, Tula smiling and giving a small wave at him before following after Kaldur. Jessi and Wally rushed up to Jacob as Oliver drapped a towel around his shoulders and began to nudge him over to where Laurel and Iris were sitting._

" _Did you see that!" Wally asked waving his hands. "It was all, wooosh and then splash!"_

" _I've heard of Atlantean sorcery but ive never seen it in person!" Jessi squealed, walking along with them._

" _Magic isnt real!" Wally argued, padding alongside Oliver. "It had to be some sort of technology."_

" _Yes it is!" Jessi shot back. "Isnt that right, Oliver?"_

" _Well i have dealt with a few bad guys who have done some incredible things," he offered, hand on Jacobs shoulder. His input had no effect on Wally._

" _No way!" He insisted, before running up to Barry. "Dad is magic real?"_

 _Barry hesistated, looking to Iris for help._

" _Don't look at me," she laughed, "Your the scientist."_

" _Well...it...kind of…" Barry babbled, scratching his head as his son jumped up and down in front of him. "Arthur C Clarke said…"_

" _I know i know," Wally finished. "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. But doesn't that mean magic doesn't exist?"_

" _No, that means both can exist!" Jessi pointed out, causing Iris to laugh again, Oliver cracking a grin._

 _The two continued to argue as Laurel held out her arms and beckoned Jacob over to her. He smiled and obeyed, sitting down in front of her and letting her wrap her arms around him in a hug._

" _You alright?" She asked snuggling against him._

" _I need to learn to swim," he replied glumly._

 _Laurel chuckled, giving him a squeeze before letting him go and leaning back. She looked around, seeing Bruce huddling his kids around him and taking in such a low voice, she couldn't hear him. Oliver tapped her hand, Laurel turning to look at him. He gave her a slight shake of his head. She squeezed his hand in response, smiling sadly before noticing Thea walking up._

 _She wore a bright red sundress, with flecks of black dotting the fabric along with red strappy sandals and a carnation tucked into her hair. The bright hue made her skin look like porcelain, elegant and fragile. Laurel smiled widely, impressed by the young girls style and waved to her. Oliver turned around at the motion, whistling once he caught sight of his sister._

" _Woah, look at you," He commented, eyes widening. "You finally stopped arguing with Raisa?"_

" _She was worried i was going to get too dirty," Thea laughed. "I wanted to look pretty."_

" _Well you certainly do," Iris replied, causing Barry to nod his head in agreement._

" _Don't you agree Jacob?" Laurel asked, nudging him._

 _He stared at Thea for what seemed like endless seconds._

" _I…" He started, throat suddenly going dry on him and making him cough. He nodded vigorously in response, causing Thea to blush and shy away._

" _Come on guys," Oliver laughed, changing the subject. "Let's head up to the balcony, get a good view of the fireworks."_

 _Everyone muttered there agreement, Wally jumping up and cheering as Oliver led the way. Thea fell in step beside Jacob as they walked, poking at the towl covering his shoulders._

" _Did i miss something?" She asked, frowning._

" _Just some messing around," Jessi answered from behind them a few steps._

" _Gotta keep those wings dry, blackbird," Thea joked, leaning in close to him. "You can't fly otherwise."_

 _Jacob heard Laurel chuckle from behind him as he blushed._

" _You look…" He started, stopping to swallow hard before trying again. "You look really pretty."_

" _Thank you," Thea muttured, blushing and holding her hands up to her face. The gesture made her look even more beautiful to Jacob._

" _Come on guys!" Wally shouted from the front, making a hurry up motion with his arms before turning and taking off. Jessi rushed past both Jacob and Thea to chase after him._

 _They made their way up to the main house, a race starting to form amongst the kids as they sped up the stairs and out towards the door leading to the balcony. Jessi made it there first, unlatching the door and swinging it open for the others to run up. They all rushed forwards to the railing, wowing at the great view and spotting Harrison setting out a dozen bright silver containers with Cisco helping him. The children waved at the two, Cisco tapping on Wells shoulder and pointing up. The two waved widely before turning and pulling a remote out of the last box and retreating a good distance away. A microphone screech echoed around the grounds before Joe West's booming voice replaced it._

" _If i can have everyone's attention. The fireworks are going to start in the next few minutes."_

 _Cheers rang out all around the crowd. The kids watched as everyone began climbing out of the pool and started rearranging their chairs towards Wells and Cisco. Wells held up the remote while the crowd started counting down from 10. As they reached zero, he pressed a few buttons and multiple lines of color shot up into the sky, exploding into a veritable starburst of colors and patterns._

 _Jacob closed his eyes at the boom of the explosion, starting to shake as the bad memories began to play in his mind. Laurel looked down and noticed his discomfort, pulling him close to her and brushing her hand through his hair. He continued to shut his eyes, shaking more and more. Thea slowly took a step back from the rail, as to not be noticed and came to his side. Very slowly and carefully, she reached out for Jacobs hand, trying not to look away from the fireworks. She found it, interlacing her fingers with his and sneaking a look at him. He had stopped shaking and his eyes were open, looking directly at her. She turned and smiled at him, tightening her grip on his hand before nodding towards the display. A bright smile lit up his face as he turned his gaze towards the colors and patterns, thumb beginning to brush against hers._


	21. Aftermath

_Good news everyone! The parts came in a day earlier than expected and i was able to quickly repair my poor laptop! The old girls back in top shape and I'm working on new content! Heres what i have so far, it may be a bit shorter than i intended to, but hopefully it will keep you adoring fans satiated till i can produce a longer chapter next week!_

* * *

Sara had regained consciousness just in time to see Jacob put the final arrow in The Haitians chest. Groggily, she blinked a few times, shaking her head and trying to clear her mind.

Blood. I smell blood, she thought to herself, taking a deep breath. Looking around, she took notice of the dozens of bodies and the arid stench of an explosion. What the hell happened?

"Jacob…" Sara croaked, her throat dry and staring at him in horror.

Jacob knelt on the ground, blood staining his hands and covering parts of his body, whispering something to himself.

"Jacob," Sara tried again, a little louder

It was almost as if he didnt hear her, he continued to mutter to himself absently.

"Jacob!" she screamed, rattling the chains still hooked to her wrists as loudly as she could.

He raised his head ever so slowly and turned to look at her. His eyes looked hollow and empty, his face pale against the crimson streaks of viscera.

"Sara?" he mumbled, looking confused.

"Jacob cut me loose." She urged.

He stood up slowly, swaying from side to side in a strange manner. Walking towards where she hung, he stumbled and lurched forwards spraying blood up into the air as his hands hit the floor. He groaned before shakily standing up and moving closer. Something about the way he moved worried Sara. He lurched closer, bending down to fiddle with the chains. WIth a few loud clunks, the chains dangled free, causing Sara to fall down and catch self on Jacob's body. Her hands landed on his bare chest, sliding in the cooling blood that slicked it. She could barely feel his heart beating as she stood there for a second, his eyes still looked blank as she looked him over.

"I did this…" she heard him mumble again and again. "I did this."

He took a step back, causing her to lose her balance for a second. She fell back against the torture stand, a sharp spike of pain causing her to grunt as a link of chain dug into her spine.

"I did this," he whispered again, turning around the room and looking blankly at the carnage before him.

Sara straightened up and marched over to him, taking his head in her hands and forcing him to look directly into her eyes.

"Jacob," she called, sternly as she could, searching his eyes for any glimpse of an answer. "What happened?!"

"I did this," was all he replied, over and over. His blank eyes looked back at her, but she could feel that he wasn't quite seeing her.

"We have to get out of here," she sighed, letting go of his head as he continued his muttering.

She knelt down beside one of the bodies, pulling free a combat knife from its belt sheath and cutting the gear from the body. The tactical vest was useless, shredded completely by what looked like ferocious slashes and strikes from an arrow tip. She pulled loose the shirt, ignoring the drying blood and slipped it on. With a few gentle tugs, she tied it around her midsection before removing the pants and putting them on. Better than nothing, she thought to herself as she tied the belt so they stayed on. She stood up, looking around the room for any useful equipment before turning around to find Jacob standing directly in front of The Haitian.

"I did this," she heard him whisper as he stared at the bleeding mess of a man who had just been torturing them both.

"Jacob, we have to leave." She called, looking for an exit. When he didn't respond, she ran over to him, grabbing his arm and spinning him away from the body.

"Now, Jacob!" she urged, pulling him to a door she hoped lead out. He stumbled along behind her.

She let go of his hand and switched the combat knife to it before throwing open the door in front of them. Inside were a set of metal stairs spiraling upwards. Up should take us out, she thought, at least it will if we're underground. She turned around to look behind her, Jacob slightly swaying back and forth. Anywhere is better than here.

She grabbed his hand, pulling him behind her as she ascended the stairs, ignoring the first door they came to and continuing upwards. After a few minutes of their own footsteps on metal echoing around them, they reached the end of the staircase, coming to a grey metal door with two latches on it. Please let this be a way out, she begged, throwing the latches before pulling the door open.

Blinding light shone through, causing her to raise her hand and squint. A wicked breeze rushed at them accompanied by a loud thumping sound. Her eyes adjusted and she noticed another of the military garbed minions loading a distinguished looking woman onto a helicopter. The minion spotted Sara, shoving the woman into the chopper and screaming for the pilot to take off. He raised his rifle, clicking off the safety and laser dot appearing on Saras chest. She flipped the combat knife to its tip and flung it at the minion. The knife sank up to its hilt in his throat, causing him to stumble backwards and involuntarily squeeze the trigger. Rounds burst from the gun as it arched up and backwards, bullets bouncing off of the fleeing helicopter. The pilot weaved away as best he could, zigzagging out of the line of fire and speeding away. The body barely hit the ground before Sara rushed over, grabbing up the rifle and taking aim at the helicopter. She peered through the sight, gauging the distance before lowering the rifle and cursing low. Wouldn't do any good, she thought to herself, damn thing would probably crash before it would be of any use to us. She turned around, seeing Jacob slumped against the door they just passed through, still muttering and staring blankly ahead. I have to get him off this island.

She slung the rifle over her shoulder, the sling attached and still intact, kneeling down and searching the still warm body. The corpse of the minion carried the same gear as the rest, aside from another combat knife and a half full canteen, most of it was useless. Upon further inspection, she found a folded up map of the island. She scanned its surface, looking for some point of reference and finding they had several locations circled in bright red. Four of them were marked with question marks, and the fifth she deduced to be their current location. Helipad, it read. She looked up, trying to determine their location and compared it to her surroundings. Damn, she thought, were on the complete opposite side of the island, up in the damn mountains. No wonder i never knew this was here. With a groan, she folded the map back up and stuffed it down her shirt. She spied a dull metal railing across the helipad, approaching it and thankfully finding an emergency set of grated metal stairs descending down to the ground.

"Jacob, lets go," She called, walking over to him and pulling him to his feet. He grunted, standing up sluggishly and swaying.

Sara pulled him along, leading him over to the rickety set of stairs and slowly started her way down. They creaked and moaned, threatening to break free from their moorings but ultimately stayed connected. She slowly crept down, every so often pausing to turn around and make sure Jacob was still following her. Down and down they went, the grey from the stairs starting to blur into an endless spiral. After what seemed like hours, the pair made it to ground level. Sara pulled the map back out from between her cleavage and regained her barings. A few moments later, Jacob stepped off the stairs, stumbling and falling into the dirt. She stuffed the map back down her shirt, grunting as she hefted him up to his feet.

"Come on, kid," she urged, draping his arm over her shoulders for better leverage. "We've got a long way to go."

* * *

They walked for hours, stopping only to fill the canteen from a stream along their way and to double check their heading.

Darkness began its creeping shadow across the trees as they came to set of downed trees laying over top of an indent in the rising hillside.

"We'll camp here for tonight," she sighed wearily, letting Jacob collapse onto the ground gently.

No response came.

She shook her head, a worried look spreading to her exhausted face, before gathering up a small collection of twigs and pieces of brush. Arranging them in a small pile, she began building the beginnings of a fire in front of him. She unslung the rifle from her shoulders, ejecting the magazine it and removing a round. Slapping the magazine back in, she set the rifle aside and picked up a rock. With a few quick, precise strikes she managed to dislodge the bullet itself from the round casing. Coming back to the pile, she cleared a small hole and dumped the powder from the casing. After arranging a small amount of brush directly over it, she drew the combat knife and struck it against the rock. A few strikes later, she had managed to produce an array of sparks, catching the powder and igniting the brush. She smiled to herself, quickly arranging more brush and some larger twigs over her accomplishment till she had a medium sized fire crackling away in front of them. The dancing light from the fire flashed in Jacobs eyes as she looked up at him, silently begging for him to snap out of it She sighed quietly to herself, moving to kneel in front of him.

"Come on kid," she pleaded with him, placing her hands on both sides of his face and finding his skin to be unusually cold. "You can't go checking out on me."

She gently shook him, staring into his eyes for some sort of sign. The hollow emptiness was the only thing staring back. With a sigh, she let go of his face before kissing his forehead quickly. She picked up the rifle from where it lay, leaning it against the dirt and sitting beside Jacob. With a snap, she absently broke apart a small twig she picked up and tossed it into their fire. Its my fault, she thought staring into the burning embers. I brought him here, i pushed him, i took advantage of him…

"Sara?" Jacobs voice came quietly, breaking her out of her self loathing and startling her slightly.

"Im here," She replied, grabbing his arm gently, giving it a squeeze and turning to look at him.

"Where are we?" he asked, his voice thick with exhaustion.

"We're still on Lian Yu. A few miles away from that hell hole…"

He went quiet again, staring down into the fire as she waited with baited breath.

"I killed them," he whispered, barely loud enough to hear and causing her to lean closer to him. "I killed them all and i liked it…"

"What the hell happened?" she asked, laying a hand softly on the opposite side of his face and making him look at her. His face turned, but his eyes never left the fire.

"I died," he whispered in disbelief. "I died…..i was dead, i know it. They were there...and…"

"Hey," she cooed, brushing his hair and trying to calm him. "Who was there?"

"Mom…" he choked, eyes welling up. "Laurel, Ollie, You…..Thea…"

"Jacob, it was probably just a hallucination, a dream."

"No," he growled, grabbing her hand firmly and startling her. "They were real, as real as you are right now.

"Look kid," she sighed, trying to release his fingers from their vice like grip on her hand. "You were most likely resurrected from the Lazarus water still in your system. I've been there. A few years back, Malcolm Merlyn...well he manipulated someone into killing me."

"Three arrows," she continued, rubbing the exact spot in her midsection where metal pierced flesh. "I still feel them every time i think about it. The sting of surprise, the look on that person's face, falling and then guess what...nothing. That's all there was. Black, nothingness."

"I know what i saw." He growled firmly, looking down at his hands and tracing where his wedding band would have been. "I was with them, i held her in my arms again…...then that smirking bastard pulled me away from them…"

"What?" she asked, looking at him confused. "Who did?"

"There was this man, in this dark room," he explained. "He said his name was Baron Kriminal...with a K….he dressed all snazy….said he was commandeering my body...killing those men…"

"I dont know of any Barons," she started. "But i do know why you killed those men. It's called the bloodlust…..i suffered from it as well when i was resurrected. It's basically the souls in the water calling out for vengeance, you have to kill the person who killed you."

"I still feel it," he admitted, forming tight fists with his hands and closing his eyes. "Anger, wrath, almost a hunger to kill them again."

"You shouldn't feel anything…" she admitted with a frown. "I saw what you did to that man…"

"Then why do i?" he asked in a frustrated tone, shaking his head.

"I dont know Jacob," she growled at him before sighing and touching his arm lightly. "I promise you, when we get off this Island, i'll take you to someone who will have more answers."

"If we get off this island," he muttered, shrugging away from her touch.

"Trust me," she grumbled, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him towards her until he gave in and leaned back against her legs. "We will get off this island, now get some sleep, well start off again at first light."

He sighed and gave in, scooting around in the dirt till he was comfortable facing the face with his head on her thigh. A few minutes of relative silence passed, the only sound coming from the crackle of burning brush.

"Hey kid," she whispered, brushing her fingers through his hair and cracking a grin. "Your not officially a Lance till you've died and come back to life…"

He snorted at her, she could feel a smile creep to his face before it vanished.

"What about Laurel…." he whispered back sadly.

Sara froze for a second, her fingers stopping in his hair. She opened her mouth to say something before shaking her head and closing her eyes instead.


	22. Left Behind

"What do you mean its gone?!" Jacob shouted, frowning in exasperation.

"Hey, dont yell at me kid," she growled, pointing a finger at him menacingly.

"Sorry," he groaned with a sigh as he ran his hands over his face and took a second to calm down. "Could someone have stolen it?"

"For one, its future tech," she argued. "No one from this era is going to know how to pilot it. Two, Gideon is programmed with a lockout so only my crew can command her."

"Fair enough," he admitted. "Could someone on the Waverider called it back?"

"Its a time ship not a poodle, kid," she groaned, sitting down and putting her face in her hands. "It's possible Gideon herself flew it back to the Waverider, but we have no way of knowing."

"Has this happened before?" he asked, standing up and starting to pace.

"Well, something of the sorts happened about two years ago…" she admitted. "Ray, Kendra and i got stranded in 1958 for a few years. I thought they had abandoned us, so i ended up going back to the league."

"Who the hells Kendra? He asked frowning.

"Ugh...long story.." She groaned.

"Did you go to be with Nyssa?"

"No," she shook her head. "This was before Nyssa was even born. I couldn't deal with being abandoned and deal with the bloodlust….the league felt right."

"So we could be here for a few years?" he asked with a groan.

"Im not sure," she admitted. "Time is pretty weird in the temporal zone. When we got stranded, the crew said only a few minutes passed by for them, for me it was two whole years."

"Perfect," he grumbled, falling back onto the cot. "I cant even build any kind of signal generator or anything with the stuff here."

"We could go back to the compound," she suggested, looking at him sideways.

"No." he growled in a finale tone.

"Well then get comfortable kid," she sighed, throwing her hands up in the air. "Looks like we're going to be here a while."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Sara finally stood up and picked up one of the scavenged rifles.

"I suppose i should find something for us to eat." She admitted, ejecting the mag and counting the rounds inside before slapping it back into the rifle. "Get a fire started."

He grunted an agreement, digging through the nearest crate for a lighter. No sooner than she had left through the netting, did Sara turn around and come right back through.

"Maybe we're not gonna be here so long after all," she groaned, taking cover against the hull of the ship.

"What? Why?" he asked, jumping up only for her to wave him to take cover.

"Get down." she growled. "I don't know how the hell they did it, but those men found us."

"Well ain't this perfect," he mumbled, picking up his own rifle before ejecting his own magazine. With a quick glance at the contents, he slammed it back in and pulled back the primer. Sara shot him an impressed look. "I said i don't like guns, not that i don't know how to use them."

"Oh you'll get to use them," she laughed, smiling at him happily. "Stay here."

"I thought i'd go out, maybe pick us up a pheasant," he snarked back, shouldering the rifle as she jumped up, rebounded off the wall and grabbed the bar hanging across the ceiling area and pulled herself up. With a grunt, she stood on the bar and crawled out a hatch in the ceiling.

"Damn thats cool," he laughed to himself as he turned back to the opening and aimed down the rifles sites.

Eleven heavily armed men fanned out from the treeline, spacing themselves out in a military formation as they moved. Jacob could hear Sara lay down on the roof of the fuselage, her magazine slightly scraping against the metal. He aimed carefully, sighting directly over the heart on the closest minion. A few tense moments passed before the first shots rang out. Sara dropped two of the minions in rapid succession, with one round a piece. Jacob followed suit, firing once, moving slightly and firing again. Two more minions dropped dead before they reacted in time. Bullets began to fly from the surviving members, ricocheting off of the cargo planes hull. Jacob ducked down against the hull, waiting for the opportune moment to return fire. He peaked around the corner, seeing the line of surviving members inching closer as Sara began picking them off one by one. After a few more shots, he heard her rifle click empty and she began inching back from her perch and closer to the hatch. The hailfire of bullets paused for a second, giving Jacob just enough time to aim around the corner and fire his last few rounds. Four more minions dropped leaving four more to stand up and start rushing towards the shell of a plane.

"Four against two," Jacob laughed as Sara descended through the hatch and rested on the bar. "Pretty good odds."

"They should've brought more men," She laughed, smiling wildly at him. Her laugh was infectious, causing him to laugh as well.

Jacob tossed the rifle down, reaching behind him to grab his training sticks. Flattening himself against the wall as to not be seen, he waited as the men inched closer. He could see their shadows through the holes in the cargo plane, one hesitating just outside the door.

The man stepped inside, peering into the darkness behind his rifle site. He turned his head to the side, blinking a few times before he spotted Jacob. Jacobs first strike lashed out, smacking the man straight in the bridge of his nose. He reacted slowly, his free hand coming up to his watering eyes as the hand holding the rifle swung wildly towards Jacob. With a quick snap, his second strike landed on the man's wrist causing the rifle to clatter to the floor. The man grumbled in surprise, stumbling backwards as Jacob lowered his shoulder and slammed the man over. The second minion followed close behind, aiming his rifle at both his downed comrade and Jacobs body as they fell. Sara was on him before he even had time to pull the trigger, leaping down from the bar and catching the man's head between her knees. Her momentum carried her in an arch, eventually slamming the guys head into the floor. With a quick kick to the face, she snapped his neck and turned to see where Jacob was struggling with his opponent. He had managed to get behind him, one arm wrapped around the man's neck gripping his practice stick with his opposing hand. With a quick twist and a sudden jerk of his stick, a loud crack echoed around the room. The man slumped to the floor, neck broken. Sara stared at Jacob with a look crossed between astonishment and pride before turning around. The last two minions had entered the fuselage on opposite sides, one coming in from the front and one from behind Jacob.

Sara tore the rifle from the man's hands, spinning it around and slamming the butt of the gun into his face. With a quick movement, she ripped the magazine from it, flung it on the ground and tossed the rifle aside. The man stumbled from the blow to the face, staggering a step before producing a combat knife and stabbing wildly at her. She deflected the first few strikes before managing to get a grip on the man's hand, over power him and drove the knife directly through his heart. The man gasped, blood beginning to fill his throat as he slowly fell to the ground.

She pulled the knife out leaving a trail of blood behind and wiped it on the man's uniform before turning to Jacob.

Jacob was flat on his back, struggling against his opponent as the man was desperately trying to run Jacob through with a similar combat knife. He had managed to hold into one of his training sticks, the other too far out of his grasp, and had it braced between himself and the attacker. Sara flipped the blade in her hand around to its you, flinging it at the attacker from across the room. With a dull thud, it sank into the man's back, causing him to arch up in surprise. Jacob took the advantage, stripped the knife from the man's grasp and stabbed it up from the man's jaw. The man died instantly, slumping against Jacob before he shoved the body aside.

"I had that," Jacob mumbled as he shook the blood from his arms.

"Sure ya did, kid," she laughed extending her hand down to help him up.

He accepted, smiling creeping to his face as looked at her. Sara's heart began to race from the adrenaline and the small satisfaction she took from dispatching the men.

"That all of them?" He asked, looking around the room.

"I think so," she muttered with a nod, breaking away from her gaze on him.

Out of nowhere, a shot rang out and tore through Jacobs right shoulder. With a startled grunt, he lurched to the right and fell backwards. Sara instinctively ducked down, scooping up a discarded rifle and aimed at the last attacker. With a quick squeeze of the trigger, bullets ripped through the man's chest, causing his body to shudder and fall backwards. His fingers spasmed, latching onto the trigger of his own rifle and emptying the magazine in a few seconds. Sara watched the body fall intently, making sure the gunman wasn't getting back up before dropping the rifle and rushing to Jacobs side.

"We missed one," he groaned clutching his shoulder, blood rushing out through his fingers.

"Yea we did," she muttered grimly, prying them apart so she could inspect the wound.

"In the same damn shoulder too," he sighed.

Sara had to stifle a laugh, unable to stop from smiling at him. Her smile made him chuckle, turning into another groan when she lifted his shoulder.

"It's a through and through," she stated, lay him back down gently.

"That's good, right?"

"Unless you wanted another souvenir," she joked searching around for the box of makeshift bandages.

He let out a pained laugh before coughing and groaning.

"Think I have enough already," he grumbled with a sigh.

Sara found the small wooden box she was looking for, grabbing it. Her hand hesitated a second over the bottle of rum before snatching it up as well. She knelt down beside Jacob, pressing the bottle in his free hand before leaning him up and securing a bandage over the exit wound. He uncorked it with his teeth, spitting the cork on the floor and taking a deep drink. Slowly leaning his shoulder back down, she took the bottle from his hands and downed some herself.

"This is gonna hurt," she muttered to him before gesturing with the bottle to his wound.

"Just do it," he sighed, shutting his eyes.

As quickly as she could, she dumped the remaining contents onto the entry wound. Jacob shifted and groaned from the pain, trying as hard as he could to not move. After a few seconds, Sara secured another bandage, putting pressure on it to slow the bleeding.

"So what's the verdict?" he groaned, trying to crack a smile at her. "Am i gonna live?"

"You've lost a lot of blood," she muttered, pressing harder on the wound and wiping the smile from his face. "You could go into shock at any moment."

He laughed quietly before groaning.

"How do you do it?" he asked, nodding to her visible set of scars on her torso.

"By remembering what i'm fighting for," she admitted, looking directly into his eyes. "For who i'm fighting for."

"Family," he muttered, eyes starting to slowly close. "Thea….Laurel."

He kept muttering, eyes almost completely closed. With a quick smack to his face, Sara napped his eyelids back open.

"Ouch!" he interjected, glaring at her. "The hell was that for?"

"Don't go passing out on me," she warned, holding up her hand again.

"Ok ok, geez," he groaned, shaking his head and blinking a few times. "Like the bullet hole wasn't enough."

Sara giggled, adding another bandage to his shoulder.

"Keep talking then," she warned again. "Tell me more about your earth. What was i like there?"

"Pretty much the same as here i guess," he started. "Maybe a little happier. You were married."

"To who?" she asked, removing the soiled bandages and applying a fresh one.

"Nyssa," he muttered. "She became The Demons Head. Vowed to use The League for a better purpose then her father. I was actually at your wedding."

"Was it big?" she asked, trying to keep him talking. "Where was it? Did i wear a dress?"

"Yea," he nodded groggily. "Is there any rum left?"

"Nope," she admitted, pushing harder on his wound. "Stay awake."

"Damn," he drawled, eyes drooping. "It was...interesting. I had never seen a League ceremony before. Nyssa wore this elegant silk dress. You were in a dress as well but with more leather."

"Oh yea? Sounds beautiful."

"It was," he admitted, head bobbing around. "Id never seen Nanda Parbat decorated in such a way. It was all so beautiful. I even danced with you...i wasn't very good but you were….Nyssa was a great aunt…..that necklace…"

His head bobbed to the side before falling to his chest, his eyes completely closing.

"Hey kid," she shouted, shaking his jaw with one hand. "Come on kid wake up!"

Jacob wearily muttered something under his breath, oblivious to Saras calls. She tried smacking him again, but it did nothing more then make his head bob more.

"Dammit," she swore under her breath, looking around for the special canteen.

'Uhh Sara?" came a woman's voice from behind her. "Did we miss something?


	23. Out of the Fire

_I apologize for the long wait for new content, things have been...exhausting...lately. Anyways, to do popular request, the following chapter contains some sexual content. Enjoy_

* * *

Sara spun around to see Zari standing in the doorway, hand holding open the camouflage netting beside her.

"About damn time," she sighed with a grumble at her.

"We can come back later if you want?" Zari shot back, glaring at Sara. "Doesn't look like your friend there would be ok with that."

"We need to get him on the ship," she grumbled, hefting Jacob up onto her shoulder. "Give me a hand."

Zari rolled her eyes before lifting up Jacobs wounded shoulder and trying to gently lift him up. They carried him sideways through the doorway and out into the clearing. The jumpship sat a few feet out, engines humming away. Amaya stood in the rear opening, waiting for them.

"What happened?" she called, stepping back and letting them climb aboard.

"Long story," Sara grumbled as they gently laid Jacobs body on the floor. "Did you bring any medical supplies?"

"Of course," Amaya confirmed, gesturing over to a small briefcase. "When Gideon arrived and told us she had lost contact with you two, i though something might have happened."

"Good. He has a simple through and through, im pretty sure he's going into shock."

"Zari," Amaya called, kneeling down beside him. "Bring me the kit."

Zari huffed and gave a mock salute before obeying and opening up the briefcase. She handed Amaya a small silver needle, which she in turn injected into Jacobs neck. Amaya turned to Sara just in time to see her walking back down the cargo ramp and back towards the wrecked plane.

"Where are you going?" She called, looking confused.

"Give me a minute," Sara shouted back. "Just stabilize the kid!"

Amaya shook her head and returned to Jacob. She lifted the blood soaked bandages, inspecting the wound. She had seen her share of bullet wounds in her own village, not to mention her time with the Justice Society back during the second world war.

"Zari," She called, dabbing at the pooling blood. "Hand me the injector."

Zari pulled out a long silver tube filled with what looked like little flat white pellets and handed it to Amaya. She took it placed it against the entry wound and pressed the plunger down. The pellets spilled out into the wound, penetrating deep inside. After a second or two ,she pulled it away and watched as they worked. Each pellet was a small piece of medical foam, expanding as soon as they absorbed a small amount of blood and sealed the would shut.

"That should keep him from bleeding out," She muttered, handing the empty injector back to Zari. "We need to get him to Gideon."

Jacobs eyes flickered open, sluggishly looking around and groaning. He tried to sit up but Amaya put a hand on his chest and held him down firmly.

"Relax, child," she whispered calmly. "Your safe."

His eyes focused on Amayas face and he smiled.

" _Mimi ni salama, bibi_." he whispered back, causing Amaya to frown and lift her hand in shock. Jacob closed his eyes and passed out.

"Did he just call you baby?" Zari asked with a laugh, looking from Jacob to Amaya.

" _Bibi_ ," she corrected, standing up. "Its Swahili, for Grandmother."

"No offense," Zari laughed again. "But i dont see the family resemblance."

Amaya frowned at her. Sara came rushing towards them both, tossing a wooden crate onboard before climbing in herself and smacking the door control. With a lazy sigh, the cargo door closed. Sara ran to the front of the ship and started strapping herself into the pilots chair.

"We need to leave," she commanded. "Now."

The two other women silently nodded, Zari sitting in the copilots chair while Amaya took a seat opposite of where Jacob lay.

"Gideon," Sara called, tapping a few controls on the dash. "Prep the medbay, we're coming home."

"Right away, Captain." Came her voice as her holographic head popped up. "It's good to see you're alright."

"Ill be alright when were back on the ship,' she dismissed grimly, giving a glance back at Jacob.

In a matter of minutes, they had taken off. Lian Yu began to shrink in the distance as the jumpship sped up into the clouds. With a shake and a jump, they had time jumped and were looking at the waving green and yellows of the temporal zone. Sara hit a few buttons and began unlatching her restraints before standing up and rushing over to Jacob.

"How is he?" She asked Amaya.

"Stable," Amaya replied undoing her own restraints but remaining seated. "I pretty sure i've managed to stem the bleeding for now, Gideon will be able to do more."

"Hey, kid," Sara called, shaking his non wounded shoulder and managing to get his eyes open. "Not going to let a bullet get the best of you, are you?"

"Nah," he smiled weakly, bringing his good hand up to touch her arm. "Us Lance's are harder to kill than that…"

"That's my boy," she cooed, kissing his forehead as he shut his eyes again.

"Sara," Amaya whispered, touching her shoulder and motioning for her to sit beside her. "He called me _bibi…._ "

"Baby?" Sara asked, frowning and looking at her questioningly.

"See!" Zari shouted before turning around to face them both. The two older women gave her a glare before Zari rolled her eyes and turned back around.

" _Bibi_ ," Amaya repeated, drawing out the syllables. "It means Grandmother in Swahili. Mari and Kuasa are my only living descendants…."

"He's from a different earth," Sara sighed, leaning back against the cold metal of the ship. "Things there are….rather were...slightly different from ours."

"It's so strange," Amaya muttered, looking over the young man.

"You're on a time ship, in the future, and you think he's strange?" She asked, pointing at him and raising her eyebrow.

Amaya shrugged helplessly before resting her elbows on her knees and peering over Jacob.

With a groan, they heard the landing gear extend from the jump ship, engines whining down in turn. The cargo door swung open lazily, revealing both Jefferson Jackson and Martin Stein standing outside.

"How was your…" The Professor started, pausing when he noticed the blood staining Saras makeshift clothing. "My word Miss Lance, are you alright?"

"Im fine Martin," She dismissed with a wave, leaning down to maneuver Jacob into a sitting position. "Jax can you give me a hand?"

Jefferson nodded, jumping up the ramp and gently lifting the young man's arm over his head and trying to take the brunt of his weight.

"What did you two get into, Sara?" He asked, eyes dancing over the blood stains and the wound on Jacobs shoulder.

"Just your standard family outing," she joked bitterly, gaining a small laugh from Jefferson.

Jacob groaned from the sudden movement as they half dragged him down the ramp and through the corridor.

"Sara?" he half groaned, half asked, eyes sluggishly opening. "Where are we?"

"Were on the Waverider kid," she cooed, trying to hurry.

"Hang in there man," Jefferson put in, matching Saras pace. "Gideons gonna patch you up no problem."

"Who are you?" Jacob asked groggily, looking at Jefferson confused.

"Introductions later, kid," Sara laughed, smacking the door control to open the medbay.

With a few steps and a grunt, they managed to get him into the medical chair; Jefferson snapping a bracelet and sedation tube around his wrist.

"Gideon," Sara called, tapping the diagnosis screen.

"One second, Captain," She replied, a stream of dancing lights shimmering around Jacobs body. "Analysis complete. He is rather low on blood, but the bleeding has been stemmed thanks to Miss Jiwes actions. I can synthesize more shortly. It will take a few hours to repair the seperated tissue and mend the severed nerve endings."

"Just do what you can, Gideon," Sara sighed, brushing the mixture of sweat and drying blood from her forehead.

"Always, Captain." Gideon replied, her repairwork starting to show on the screen.

"I need a shower," Sara grunted out loud, looking down at her mottled appearance and heading for the door.

Jefferson stood where he was for a moment, arms folded and frowning at the youngman in the chair.

"Jax," Sara called, pausing at the door. "Let Gideon work."

"Yea, right." he muttered, nodding his head and following her out of the medbay.

They passed the professor on their way down the corridor.

"Let him rest Martin," she called as they passed each other.

"Miss Lance I…" He started before Sara shook her head, noticing what book he held clutched in his hands.

"Actually you know what," she muttered cutting him off. "Read him some of that."

"Yeah that'll keep him asleep better than Gideons sedatives," Jax laughed.

The Professor held up a hand and opened his mouth to retort but ultimately gave an exasperated sigh and turned around. Both Jax and Sara laughed heartily as they continued down the corridor, splitting up with a wave.

Martin Stein crept through the doors to the medbay and silently padded inside. Upon seeing the young man in the chair, he paused.

"Gideon," he called softly, sitting down on a stool nearby. "How is he doing?"

"The repairs to his injuries are underway," answered quietly, displaying her handiwork on the viewing screen.

"Do you mind?" he asked, holding up his book.

"Not at all," she replied. "It will be a few hours, and i find your voice rather soothing."

"Well thank you my dear," he blushed, the flutter of pages echoing around the room as he flipped to his place.

" _Enter The King._ " he began, clearing his throat softly. "

 _Westmoreland: O that we now had here, but one ten thousand of those men in england, that do no work today._

 _King Henry: Whats he that wishes so? My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin: If we are mark'd to die, we are enow to do our country loss; and if to live, the fewere men, the greater share of honour! God's will! I pray thee, wish nt one man more. By Jove, i am not covetous for gold, nor do i care who doth feed upon my cost; It yearns me not if en my garments wear; Such outward things dwell not in my desire. But if it be a sin to covet honour, i am the most offending soul alive. No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England: god's peace! I would not lose so great an honour as one man more, methinks, would share from me for the best hope i have. O, do not wish one more! Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host, that he which hath no stomach to this fight, let him depart. His passport shall be made and crowns for convoy put into his purse. We would not die in that mans company, that fears his fellowship to die with us. This day is called the feast of Crispian. He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, will stand a tip toe when the day is named, and rouse him at the name of Crispian. He that shall live this day, and see old age, will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours and say 'Tomorow is Saint Crispian', Then he will strip his sleeve and show his scars, and say, 'These wounds i had on Crispin's day.' Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot, but hell remember with advantages wht feats he did that day: then shall our names, familiar in his mouth as household words. Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter, Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester. Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd…_

" _This story shall the good man teach his son_ ," Jacob quietly murmured, sitting up carefully. " _From this day, to the ending of the world. But we in it shall be remember'd. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he today that sheds his blood with me, shall be my brother._ "

Martin smiled, removing his glasses and wiping his misty eyes.

"A fan of Henry the fifth, are you?" He asked, replacing his glasses.

"It was called something else on my earth," Jacob admitted, trying to recall the name. "But you could say so."

"Astonishing," The Professor gasped, marking the page he was just reading from and closing the book. "To cross into another land, and yet find similarities."

"And yet find them still," He agreed, smiling and nodding.

"I must admit, i wouldn't have thought anyone in the Lance family to have a liking to Shakespeare."

"Well technically im adopted," Jacob reminded him. "But don't let Sara fool you, there's a lot more to her than she lets on."

"I'm sure," He agreed, laughing quietly. "Forgive my abruptness, but you seem to be eerily comfortable speaking with what i assume to be a total stranger."

"You haven't been a stranger to me since i was ten years old," Jacob chuckled quietly, The Professor tilting his head in confusion. "Your doppelganger, Martin Stein, from my earth. He was like family."

"Oh i see," he murmured, folding his hands in his lap. "Did he..?"

"Read Shakespeare?" Jacob finished, nodding. "When he wasn't trying to hammer the finer points of nuclear fusion into us children, yes. Henry V was his favorite."

"Mine as well," he replied, holding tightly to the book. "What was he like? This doppelganger."

"He was kind, loving, exceedingly brilliant," Jacob started, smiling sadly in remembrance. "Unfortunately the Professor was a widower, his beloved Lillian dying of cancer long before my time."

"Lillian you say?" he asked surprised. "Fascinating."

"He threw himself into his work after she passed. When i first met him, he was working in STAR Labs on a new way to achieve Nuclear Fusion safely. A few years after i met him, he had a breakthrough, creating the F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M matrix. With the help from a brilliant Engineer named Ronnie Raymond, they became Firestorm."

"Oh Ronald…." The Professor sighed, hanging his head in grief.

"Is he around?" Jacob asked excitedly, sitting up a little straighter. "Id like to meet his doppleganger."

"So would i, dear boy," He sighed again. "So would i."

Jacob looked at The Professor with a confused look.

"Whats wrong?" Jacob asked.

"Ronald is...well he's….im afraid Mister Raymond passed a few years ago," Martin stammered, staring at his hands.

"What? I dont understand," Jacob babbled, shifting in his chair. "If Ronnies dead…..how are you…?"

"Alive?" he finished, looking up. "By sheer luck im afraid."

"Wait...That young man who helped carry me in here…"

"Jefferson," Martin answered, smiling happily. "Yes, by some unlikely chance, Mister Jackson and I were able to combine and stabilize the firestorm matrix inside myself."

"Well when you see him, would you apologize to him for me? I don't want to sound ungrateful, i just didn't…." Jacob stammered, shuffling his hands.

"Think nothing of it," He replied, happily waving a hand. "Jeffersons a kind man, i'm happy to share with him."

Jacob smiled weakly, leaning back in the chair as Martin stood and began to walk towards the door.

"Professor?" Jacob asked making him pause. "Could i ask you a favor?"

"Of course my boy," he replied, turning to face him.

"Would you read some more?"

"I…" He started, taken aback. "Yes, yes of course."

He turned around and sat back where he was, flipping open the book. The flutter of pages echoed again throughout the medbay as he found his place. With a clearing of his throat, Martin began to read again, right where he left off. A smile crept to Jacobs face as he leaned back and slowly closed his eyes.

* * *

Sara twisted the dully grey knob and after a second, steaming hot water began to cascade down from the shower head above her. She took a step back and drew the curtain closed, standing in front of the mirror and looking at her motley appearance. With careful movements, she began to peel the blood and sweat crusted mockery of clothing away from her skin. Tugging at the shirt, it came away from her skin with a tear, leaving her skin a multicolored mess. She sighed and dropped all the rags down into a pile before turning back to the mirror. The yellowish grey of healing bruises adorned her side and blossomed from the one side of her face. She pulled her hair back, inspecting farther and finding more healing bruises.

 _Ive had worse_ , she thought to herself, gently touching where the knife had split her skin below her eye. She could still feel the sting along with the feeling of his hands on her. With a mental shudder, she turned away from the mirror and stepped into the steaming water. Picking up a small yellow luffa, she began to attack the layer of filth and gore on her body.

A few minutes later, a quiet beeping began to sound.

"What is it Gideon?" She asked aloud, removing her head from the shower stream.

"Pardon the intrusion, Captain. I thought you would want to know, Jacob is well on the mend. Both physically and mentally."

"That's good to hear," she muttered, wiping a line of water from her face. "Is the professor still in the medbay?"

"Affirmative Captain. He has been reading to the both of us. I do believe Mister Lance...Jacob...has fallen asleep from it."

Sara laughed, imagining Gideon sitting cross legged on the floor in front of the professor with Jacob snoozing beside her.

"Thats adorable," Sara laughed again. "Let me know when he wakes up would you?"

"Yes, Captain," Gideon answered finally before the only sound left was the water cascading down onto Sara.

She smiled to herself, wiping the last patches of grime from her now pink skin. Her mind began to drift to thoughts of Jacob, how the look in his eyes had began affecting her and their little tryst beneath the waterfall. She turned around, facing away from the steaming spray and slowly lowered the temperature, trying to match that of the waterfalls coolness. After a few seconds of trying, she came to the perfect match. Closing her eye, she could almost see the area again. The water pounding on her back and slipping down her shoulders made it feel like she was there again. All that was missing was….

Her hands began to move of their own accord, first starting up at her hairline, fingers beginning to wind their way around her sopping wet locks before trailing down her temples ever so carefully. She began to sway left and right, as if able to hear a melody playing. Her hands began to dance all over her body, one rubbing up her neck as the opposite descended down her temple to her breast. Imagining it was his hands, her own squeezed her breast, bringing a soft moan to her lips and the sensual warmth to her cheeks. She could see him clearly now, the warm resistance of his muscular torso, the devilish look in his eyes as he devoured the sight of her. Her hand began moving again, slowly squeezing and releasing her breast before drawing slow small circles around her soft pink nipples. The same hand grasped her nipple, pulling at it softly with the slightest pressure, imagining his teeth gently biting it before his tongue flicked over the deliciate tip. Her hand released, running up her chest till it reached her throat. She took a step backwards, pressing herself against the shower wall and hand giving a soft squeeze; mirroring his movements. Her left hand descended from its caressing dance on her upper body and slowly traced a line in the water running down her torso. Running her fingers gently around her waist, Sara seeing and feeling it as his hand before it descended further, stopping on her mound. She could almost feel the warm brush of his lips against her smooth skin before her fingers grazed down to flick over her slippery wet entrance.

The hunger for him increased with every second; what started as an itch had exploded into a full blown inferno of lust deep inside her chest. Her body craved for him to enter her, her fingers brushing over her lower lips and caressing her hidden jewel. Her once quiet moans had turned into a feverish panting, waves of pleasure crashing through her body as her mind screamed for more. She imagined his talented tongue dancing below, flicking over her sweetest spot before descending further and lapping at her soaked warmth. she slipped a finger inside herself, gasping as another sensation of delight sprang forth. Her finger swirled around inside her, setting her body ablaze with the sensations. She ached for more, slipping a second finger inside herself to get closer to the feeling of him. Her whole body writhed, fingers dancing around inside her, hitting every pleasurable spot as her opposing hand held her by the throat. Still it wasn't enough. She began to brush her palm against her clitoris, sending shocks of pleasure through her body and only increasing her need Her hand doubled its movements, brushing up against the top of her entrance and making her almost scream out. Against her will, she found herself softly moaning for him.

"Jacob…." she moaned, fingers simulating as close as they could. "Yes...Jacob…"

Her needs suddenly doubled, her mind becoming cloudy with lust. She abandoned her furious efforts and turned around, shutting off the water and stepped out. With a quick grab for a towel, she wrapped it around her glistening wet body and touched the door control. The doors opened with a lazy sigh and she poked her head out into the corridor, hair dripping wet and listening intently for anyone around. Satisfied that no one was around, she began to silently pad her way towards the med bay; thoughts of what she wanted to do filling her mind. She could almost feel his presence already, body crying out for his touch.

She started to imagine what she would do upon seeing him, hoping he was still sedated in the medichair. She wanted to crawl all over him, starting at his legs till she reached his waist, trailing kisses all around his belt line. Licking up his sexily scared muscular torso, she'd tease and torment him, drinking in all the sexual energy. As she walked she began to notice the pleasurable friction of the towel on her nipples, making her even more wet with desire. She imagined herself grinding against him before turning her body around and positioning herself over his mouth, yearning to feel his tongue deep inside her as she took his member into her mouth. She was salivating at the thought, cheeks beginning to flush.

She was about to enter the medbay doors when she began to hear a voice echoing from inside. _Shit_ , she thought recognizing the voice, _thats Martin._ All lusty thoughts suddenly vanished, Sara looked down at herself and began to panic. As quietly as she could, she turned on her heels and dashed off in the direction she had came, not stopping until she was safely in her own quarters.

She fell against the door after it had closed, breathless with embarrassment filling her mind. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ She grumbled silently to herself as she tossed the towel around her waist onto a chair. She caught a glimpse of her bruised and battered body in a mirror as she paced over to her dresser and removed a pair of loose sweatpants and a baggy shirt. _Would have been a bit complicated anyway,_ she thought, touching a yellowish grey mark and wincing. Grumbling to herself and punching one of her many pillows, she climbed into bed and pulled the covers over herself. She rolled over, spying a picture of Laurel and herself on the nightstand. Tossing the covers back off herself, she picked up the framed picture and sat up; an idea came to mind.

"Gideon, you there?" She called quietly with a smile.

"Of course, Captain."

"I need you to locate someone for me. Nyssa Raatko, as close to the time we picked up Jacob as possible." Sara muttered, running her fingers through her wet hair.

"Right away, Captain." Gideon chirped.

"And Gideon?" she called, touching the picture of the two, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I need you to do me a favor…"


	24. The Calm Before

" _Jacob."_ Called a familiar feminine voice soothingly. " _Jacob….time to get up…"_

 _Laurel?_ He thought silently, warily opening his eyes and trying to sit up. Lights began to flicker on around him, momentarily blinding him.

" _Jacob Lance,"_ called the voice again. " _If you don't get out of bed this instant…."_

He tried to focus his eyes against the bright lights, squinting to see a shadow of a person sitting in the same chair Martin had been occupying earlier.

"Mom?" He asked groggily rubbing his eyes and trying to focus again.

"First you call Amaya baby and now you call me mom," the figure laughed, revealing itself to be a young woman in a red and black checkered shirt. "Did Sara hit you in the head one too many times?"

"I can assure you Miss Tomaz," Gideon chirped in. "If she had, my repairs to his body would have alleviated any damage."

"Lighten up Gideon," the young woman shot back. "I was joking. You alright kid?"

"Im fine," Jacob grunted, shaking his head and disconnecting the device wrapped around his wrist. "Thank you for that, Gideon."

"You are most welcome, Jacob," she replied back, giving an audible smile.

"You sure you're alright, kid?" The young woman asked again, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Im fine," he repeated, this time in a more annoyed tone. "Just thought i heard something."

"Well it sounds like you could use some exercise," She laughed, stepping towards him and extending her hand. "My names Zari. Zari Tomaz."

"Jacob Lance," He offered, taking her hand and shaking it firmly; she raised an eyebrow at his grip before giving a smile.

"Is he good to go, Gideon?" she asked, looking over towards the wall screen.

"Mister Lance...im sorry, Jacob, is in perfect health. I do recommend some caution though."

Jacob sat up, carefully placing a bare foot on the cold metal. Gingerly, he put part of his weight behind it. He felt strong, quickly putting his opposing foot down and standing up completely. Both his legs held and, with a smile, he wiggled his toes; each digit dancing in response. Zari rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. He looked at her, still smiling.

"You want a medal or something?" She asked snidely, trying to fight back smiling at him.

"Hey, " he argued, stretching his arms out and touching his once wounded shoulder. The burn scar was less noticeable, merely a few lines of pink. The bullet wound was in a similar state, only a small circle left. "It's the best i've felt in weeks."

Her smile forced its way through.

"Now about those rags," she mentioned, nodding at his tattered pants and eyes flicking over his muscular torso. "Gideon can you make him a few things?"

She responded by opening a panel behind Zari, a tall narrow rack sliding forth. On it hung a pair of dark pants and a black shirt, with a pair of dark leather boots sitting below them.

"I have already taken the liberty of fabricating af few items for him," Gideon chirped.

Zari walked over, picked up the pants and shirt before flinging them both at Jacob. She went to pick up the boots before Jacob stopped her.

"If you don't mind," he chuckled. "I'd like to stretch my toes a bit."

"Fine by me," Zari shrugged, pushing on the panel so it slid back into the wall. "Just don't let Ray see you barefoot, he's got a bit of a germ problem."

Jacob laughed and began peeling the blood and sweat covered pants away from his waist, fingers struggling with the buttons.

"You...uhhh… might want to wait before changing," She stammered, hesitantly pointing out the blood, mud and sweat stains all over his body.

"Oh…." he muttered, not having noticed his motley appearance till now. "Shower?"

"This way," she laughed, waving for him to follow her.

He obeyed, joints giving off a crack as he took a step. Zari laughed again, looking over her shoulder to make sure he kept pace. It wasn't hard, now that he was standing closer to her he noticed the difference in their height; he stood almost a full head taller. After a few steps, he found himself right beside her, taking a slower pace and enjoying the cool sensation of his skin on the metal floor.

"Where is everyone?" he asked, looking up and down the corridor as they walked.

"Well it's pretty late yet," she commented, looking at the watch on her wrist. "Rays probably the only other one still up. Good news is you won't have to wait for the bathroom."

He looked down at her questioningly.

"Only have one," she shrugged. "Biggest downside to this ship."

Jacob snorted back a laugh as they kept walking. After a few doors passed, Zari began to hum a melody under her breath.

"What is that?" he asked gently, admiring the tune.

"Oh...it's something i heard Nate playing in the library," she admitted shyly. "Vivaldi i think. Not my usual taste but i kinda like it."

"Its pretty," he nodded.

"You're sweet," she giggled. "Kind of surprising since your related to Sara."

"Adopted," he admitted. "But Sara does have a soft side, deep down."

"Yea...really deep down," she agreed in a dry tone as they arrived at a single door. With knock, she brought up the door control. Seeing no one was inside, she opened it up. "Well here we are. Take as long as you want, Gideon has plenty of hot water."

He nodded, stepping inside and tapping the door control. With a lazy sigh, the doors slid shut and he heard a soft scrapping as Zari leaned against them, sliding down into a sitting position.

With a chuckle, he turned around and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. It truly was a morbid sight: blood crusting all over his chest, his once stubbled cheek now sporting the beginnings of a beard. He shuddered, turning away from the mirror and turned the shower knob to full hot. The room filled with steam almost instantly. Jacob peeled off the ruined rags he wore and chucked them into a corner, stepping into the steaming spray and sighing in relief. He scrubbed at his skin, grime fighting free and almost turning the water black. Working his way down his arms, he noticed the blood covering his hands. Screams began to echo in his head, visions of each person he had killed flashing before his eyes. He started to scrub at his hands violently, heart racing uncontrollably as the screams only got louder. With a defeated groan, he dropped the scrub brush and shoved his head under the spray, hoping the rushing water would drown out the screams.

"Im fine, im fine," he began muttering to himself as he rubbed at his eyes. "Im fine."

He slowly opened his eyes, moving away from the rushing water and looked at his hands. All that remained was bright pink skin.

"Gideon," he called quietly.

"Yes, Jacob?" came her response in a worried tone.

"How well versed are your musical databases?"

"Mister Haywood has updated them several times since his arrival. I am confident to say i have a vast variety."

"Good," Jacob laughed. "Can you put on some old jazz? Something close to The Crooners?"

"I am unfamiliar with that name, running a comparative scan now." She chirped, going quiet for a second. "I believe i have something similar."

"Let me hear it?" he asked.

Soft melodies began to drift through the air, mingling nicely with the cascading water.

"Close enough," he chuckled, enjoying the soft swaying rhythm.

He took his time, room filling with steam and music. By the time he stepped out, his once grime covered skin was perfectly clean and bright pink. After running his hand wrapped in a towel over the mirror, he stared at his own reflection for a few seconds. His muscular torso was even more defined, fingers touching the newer scars. _Damn_ , he thought to himself, _I look and feel good again._ He continued to admire himself in the mirror, turning around and flexing his muscles. When he faced it again, he scratched at his beard in thought.

"Needs to go," he mumbled, looking around for a pair of shears or a razor.

"Gideon, do you have anything I could…" he started. Before he could finish his sentence, a small panel extended itself out from below the mirror. A collection of shaving implements along with their accompanying lathers sat on a clear panel. He looked them all over, finally picking one up and setting to work.

* * *

Zari sat with her back against the cold metal door leading to the bathroom, humming absently to herself. She began to tap out a rhythm on the floor in front of her until the door opened and she fell backwards with a squeak. Jacob stood above her, drying his damp hair with a towel and smiling down at her.

"Well don't you clean up nice," she giggled, rubbing her head and noticing the shaggy beard gone from his face.

He extended a hand down to her. With a grunt, she took it, taking note of how big and warm his hands were compared to her own. She stood up, bending down to brush off her pants before looking up at him. The pants fit absolutely perfect, accenting his natural body shape. The shirt made his already muscular chest look even more defined, a few damp spots adding even more definition. Now his face looked completely different. What once held a mottled mat of hair, was now completely clean and made him look slightly younger. His jawline was superb, something she hadn't noticed before. His hair did need a trim, but despite the length it spilled over the sides and back of his head in an attractive manor.

"Garbage?" He asked, holding up the rags he once wore.

"Hmm?" she asked, shaking her head and breaking away from her observations. "Oh right, incinerator."

She took a step around him, tapped a panel on the wall next to the mirror and a tray pivoted out. He raised his eyebrows and peered down into the tray, seeing nothing but darkness. With a shrug, he tossed the rags in and Zari nudged it shut with her hip and pressed the panel again. The tray silently pivoted back into the wall and disappeared.

"Right," she muttered dusting off her hands and heading back into the corridor. "You hungry?"

"Actually, yes," he chuckled, his stomach rumbling in response as well. "Not even sure when i ate last."

"Well come on," she smirked, waving him to follow her. "Gideon makes **really** good pancakes."

As she turned, he caught a glint of something shiny dangling around her neck. He frowned, but otherwise followed her.

"So i noticed your not exactly shocked to be on a time ship," she started as he caught up to her. "Been on one before?"

"Something like that," he laughed, reaching a hand out to lightly run along the wall as they walked. "I spent a good bit of time in these corridors."

He paused, looking up the corridor and frowning slightly.

"The Galleys up this way right?" he asked, turning to her and nodding to the right of a split.

"Right," she agreed with a nod.

"Race ya," he grinned childishly at her.

Before she had a chance to answer, he had taken off down the corridor. She opened her mouth to call after him, instead, a smile crept to her face and she took off after him.

A few doorways whizzed by as he ran, feet making a slapping echo on the metal. He turned his head to see Zari chasing after him, face lit up with laughter as she did. As he turned back around, he almost came crashing into Sara face to face. She took a step to stop him but he managed to twist around her, feet tangling up and tripping. WIth a thud and a groan, he tumbled to the floor and into the closest wall. Sara rushed over to him, rolling his body over to face her. As she did so, she noticed his body was shaking with laughter.

"Are you alright?" she asked, standing up and folding her arms over her chest.

"Yea, im fine," he laughed, standing up and dusting himself off. He looked her over and saw her hair was slightly frizzy, she had just woken up. "You ok?"

"Im fine," she grumbled back, trying to fight a smile as she looked up into his handsome face; she lost and cracked a grin at him. "It's good to see that face without it being covered in blood."

Zari finally caught up to them breathless.

"You were supposed to be looking after him," Sara grumbled as she turned to face her.

"I am!" Zari insisted, raising a hand in protest as she caught her breath. "We're heading to the kitchen for something to eat."

"Gideons pancakes?" Sara asked, turning from Zari to Jacob. He nodded and grinned as she shook her head and tried to hide her smile behind her hand.

"Go eat then," she giggled, standing on her tiptoes to give him a hug. He squeezed her tightly, causing her to wince.

"I'm gonna need a few hours in the medbay…" she groaned, releasing him and lightly holding her ribs before walking down the corridor.

Zari gave her a one handed wave before her hand rested on her forehead, brushing her bangs back. With an annoyed sig, she placed her hand on her hip and glared at Jacob.

"Are you trying to get me in trouble with Sara again?" She groaned closing her eyes.

"Hey," he shot back, cracking a wise ass grin. "You're the one who offered pancakes. Not my fault you can't keep up."

Her eyes flicked open, staring at him for a second before she touched the medallion hanging around her neck. The ruby red jewel began to glow for a second before it went dark. With a wave of her hands, Zari sent a sudden rushing of air towards Jacob. He frowned at the sound before being pinned against the wall of the corridor. She cracked a grin as he hung there, giving a small salute before running in the original direction they were heading.

After a few minutes, Jacob made it to the galley and found Zari sitting at the center table overzealously eating a stack of pancakes. When she saw him walk through the door, she stuck a bite in her mouth quick, making small moans of enjoyment and sneering at him.

"Not cool," he growled, pointing a finger at her threateningly.

"Hey, its not my fault you don't have any powers," she shot back at him. She picked up another forkful of pancake and ate it mockingly.

"You have no idea how many times i heard that back home.." He grumbled as he glared at her for a second before a grin broke through and they both started laughing.

"Gideon," he called, approaching the food replicator. "Would you mind making me a stack as well?"

"Of course," she chirped, the replicator lighting up and whiring. A few seconds later he was pulling a steaming glass dish from it.

As he walked over to the table, Zari pushed out a chair with her foot. Jacob grabbed it by the back, checking to make sure her foot wasn't about to pull it back, and sat down.

"That necklace," he started, pointing at the amulet she wore. "What exactly is it?"

"It belonged to my brother," she answered, pulling it out from beneath her shirt and holding it up. "Amaya says its a totem from Zambezi but i don't really know much about it. Didnt I have it on your earth?"

"Well to be honest, i don't remember a Zari Tomaz or anyone wearing anything like that back home, other than Amaya i mean."

"What can i say," she chuckled, spearing another chunk of her breakfast. "I'm one of a kind."

Jacob snorted from behind a mouthful of pancake as Zari grinned at him.

"Ahh, good morning Miss Tomaz, Mister Lance," Came Martin Steins voice as he entered the galley and picked up a grapefruit, slicing it in half. "Gideon would you be a dear and pour me some orange juice?"

"Of course Professor," she replied, replicator lighting up again.

"Morning," Zari called, waving her fork in greeting, Jacob nodded and waved as he swallowed a mouthful.

"How are you feeling?" The Professor asked as he approached the table, his halved grapefruit in one hand, orange juice in the other.

"Much better," Jacob replied, standing up and sliding out a chair for the older man. "Gideon works wonders."

"That she does, my boy, that she does," he chuckled setting his food down and accepting the chair. "Thank you, If only everyone onboard had such exquisite manors."

Jacob laughed as he sat back down, Zari muttering something quietly to her fork.

"What was that Miss Tomaz?" The professor asked, looking over at her.

"Hey," she called, clearing her throat and looking to Jacob. "Tell us a story about your earth."

"Oh yes, do." The Professor agreed.

"I wouldn't even begin to know where to start," Jacob admitted, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh come on!" Zari interjected, smacking the table with her open palm. "There has to be a few embarrassing stories to tell. What about Sara?"

"I'm not about to tell that one, Saras already wailed on me enough," He laughed, shaking his head. "Although, i was pretty terrible as a child. I ended up growing up in STAR labs with both Harrison Wells daughter and Barry Allen's son. So we were like twelve years old, it was all pranks day. Usually the parents would play these little jokes with us kids and the whole lab would get in on it. It was the same year Harrison ended up locking himself in his office to escape the trickery. But anyway, Barry was always getting us the best, using his superspeed to pull of some of the most elaborate pranks. The three of us had enough and decided we were going to get him back. We had the perfect plan, we were going to mess with The Flash suit. Wally was developing speedster abilities so we had him steal the ring when Uncle Barry wasn't looking. Jessi and I finally managed to figure out how he got the suit into and out of the ring, with a little help from Ronnie. After a few hours, we got everything situated, put the suit back inside and had Wally return it while Ronnie rigged up a fake alarm for The Flash. We waited out in the corridor for it to go off, and when it did, we saw Barry come tumbling out of his office and into the wall outside. He threw on his suit so far that he didn't even notice we had put roller skates on the boots, bunny ears on the cowl and had darkened his lenses!"

Zari started snorting over her food, holding a hand up cover her mouth as the Professor doubled over in laughter.

"We could hear Ronnie laughing the whole way down the hall as he watched it happen on camera. When he finally got the suit back off, the look on Barry's face was priceless; he didn't know wether to be mad at us or proud we pulled it off!"

"That would have been a sight to see," The Professor laughed, taking a sip of his orange juice.

"Another!" Zari commanded.

"Alright, alright," Jacob laughed, holding up his hands. "On my sixteenth birthday, Rip decided we were going to take a little trip…"

* * *

Jefferson Jackson woke up in an oddly good mood, swinging his legs over the end of his bunk and standing up. With a yawn and a stretch, he rooted around for a tee shirt to cover his bare chest. He picked up a tablet from the small table he kept beside his bunk, flipping through a series of screens till he came to one labeled Status.

"Good morning, Gideon," he called, reading over all the values that popped up on the screen.

"Good morning mister Jackson," Came her reply in a cheery tone.

"What are we gettin into today?" he asked, tapping the door control and heading out into the corridor.

"There are a few routine maintenance tasks that need completed."

"Are any urgent?" he asked, flipping through the list as he walked.

"Not immediately."

"Ok awesome," he nodded, getting another wave of extreme giddyness washing over him.

 _What was that?_ He silently asked himself as he stopped. Closing his eyes and concentrating, he tried to weed out the source. After a few minutes, he saw flashes of happyness, someone laughing and the smell of grapefruit. _Of course,_ he thought.

"Gideon, where's Grey?" he called.

"I do believe The Professor is in the galley with Miss Tomaz and Jacob."

"Of course," he sighed, nodding and heading in that direction.

A few minutes later, he heard the same echoing of laughter bouncing around the corridor. He stepped through the doorway, entering in the middle of a conversation.

"...Rip just looks at the Vicar, grabs me by the scruff of the neck and says 'Sorry guv, this one's mine.'"

A loud burst of laughter rang out from both Zari and Martin with Zari almost in tears. Martin removed his glasses, wiped his eyes with a finger and put them back in time to see Jax standing in the doorway looking confused.

"Ah, Jefferson," he called, waving him over. "Good morning."

"Sounds like yall are having a good morning," he commented, nodding.

"Come come, Jefferson," The Professor chided in as Zari struggled to regain her breath from laughing so hard. "Mister Lance here is just regaling us with stories from his world."

"Jacob, please," Jacob dismissed, extending a hand out to Jefferson.

"Everybody just calls me Jax," he replied, gripping the man's hand firmly and shaking it.

"Well Jax, I owe you a thank you."

"Nah don't worry about it man," he said with a wave.

"Come on tell us another!" Zari exclaimed, reaching across the table and shaking Jacobs arm

* * *

.

A few hours later, Sara sat up in the medchair and groaned groggily. Slowly regaining her senses, she rubbed her eyes and blinked, taking in the brightening lights around her.

"Are we good to go, Gideon" she asked, looking over her shoulder to the viewing screen.

"All your injuries are completely healed but i feel i must mention your elevated oxytocin levels…"

"Gideon can we not?" Sara replied, cutting off the electronic female with a groan. "Did you manufacture the items i requested?"

"I did," she confirmed, sliding open the wallrack and revealing the crate Sara had brought with them from Lian Yu. "I took the liberty of storing them as well."

Sara stood up from the chair slowly, and once sure of her footing, walked over to the panel. She lifted the lid, peered inside and smiled, lightly touching the contents.

"Thank you, Gideon," she called, shutting the lid and placing a lock on the latch. "They're perfect."

She picked up the crate and carried it towards the door, stopping when she noticed a pair of boots sitting randomly on the floor. _They have to be Jacob's_ , she thought to herself as she picked them up and headed for the door. She proceeded to lug the crate down the corridor, and with some struggling, opened the door to the jumpship.

"Gideon, did you manage to find her?" She asked, setting the crate down and tapping on the jumpships controls.

"Of course, Captain, i have plotted a course."

"Good, wheres Jacob?" she asked, turning for the door.

"The Galley with the Professor, Mister Jackson and Miss Tomaz."

Sara nodded in confirmation, exting the jumpship and pacing down the corridor, boots in hand. She arrived at the entryway a few minutes later, just in time for another burst of laughter to echo from inside.

"What's so funny?" she asked, walking into the room with a raised eyebrow.

No one was able to speak right away, everyone was either clutching their sides or still trying to regain their breath from laughing so hard. Zari took a deep breath and nodded at Sara.

"She even has the same crease in her forehead," she muttered to Jacob as she pointed at Sara.

"That she does," Jacob laughed, turning around to see Sara scowling at them both.

"What do you mean?" Sara asked, stepping closer towards Jacob.

"Nothing," he replied with a grin. She dropped the boots in his lap as a response, smirking when he flinched.

"You're looking well, miss Lance," Martin acknowledged, after wiping his misty eyes.

"Thank you, Martin," she replied, giving a warm smile. "I see this one's warming up to everyone," she cooed, kissing Jacob on top of the head; the others gave her a surprised look at she did.

"I feel great," Jacob replied, tilting his head back and smiling at her.

"Welp, it's time for me to get some sleep," Zari yawned, looking at her watch before standing up. "If you survive Saras training, it'd be good to see you again." She said, holding out a closed fist.

"Likewise," he laughed, bumping his own fist into hers.

She smiled, giving a little wave to both Martin and Jax before sleepily shuffling out of the galley and into the corridor.

"Jax, how's everything coming with the ship?" Sara asked, turning to Jefferson.

"I've got a list of diagnostics to run yet," He groaned, wiping a hand across his face.

"Well get on it," She commanded. "Martin, i'm gonna need you to look after the kids for a little bit. Ill be away for awhile with this one."

"Of course, Captain." He laughed through a grin.

Jacob picked the boots up off his lap and slipped his feet inside, lacing them up quickly.

"Where we going?" he asked, standing up.

"To finish your training," she answered simply.

Martin raised his eyebrows as Jacob let out an audible groan.

"Take heart, young man," The professor started, gently touching Jacobs hand. "You survived that wretched Island, im sure youll survive anything else Sara throws at you."

"Depends what part of me she throws it at," he laughed bitterly, giving the older mans hand a squeeze.

"Well let's go then," Sara urged, giving a small tug on Jacobs opposing arm.

Jacob gave a small salute to both the professor and Jax before allowing himself to be pulled from the galley and down the corridor. Jax waited till he was sure they were both out of earshot before saying anything.

"Did you see that Grey?" he asked his older counterpart. "She kissed him…."

"They're family," The Professor stated simply, standing up and pushing in his chair.

"Yeah but i dont think ive ever seen Sara be so…"

"Caring?" The older man finished for him as Jax nodded. "She's lost her sister, it would only be logical for her."

"If you say so…" Jax muttered following him.

"Do i detect a hint of jealousy?" Martin laughed, raising an eyebrow and looking sideways at his companion.

"Grey get real man," The younger fellow sneered with a roll of his eyes.

* * *

"So where are we going?" Jacob asked again as he followed Sara to the jumpship. "Or should i ask, when?"

"When's the easy part," She laughed, turning around to face him and walking backwards. "We're returning you to the day you left."

"And the where?" He asked raising his eyebrow.

"Well that's a little more complicated," she replied frowning. "Gideon did not say where exactly but i'm taking you to the one person who i know can properly train you, without getting you killed; Nyssa."

"Thought you two weren't together anymore?"

"We're not…." she sighed, biting her lip and turning back around. "But i'm hoping she will do me a favor…"

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" he muttered to himself as they climbed aboard the jumpship.

"Would it make you feel better if i promise not to kick you out of the cargo door this time?" She laughed, flashing him a dangerous smile and sitting down in the pilot's chair.

"Maybe a little," he grinned back at her before sitting down and strapping himself in.

As he did so, he noticed the wooden crate from the island sitting on the floor a few chairs away from him, opening his mouth to ask about it before ultimately remaining silent.

In a matter of minutes, they were secured and blasting out from the hangar into the greens and yellows of the temporal zone. With a few button presses and a sudden lurch, a bright flash erased all color, leaving them in a pitch black sky with the faint shine of stars. Sara pulled up a map on the display, scanning area. Jacob unhooked his harness and slowly walked up to peer out the windshield. He could see faint flickers of light in the distance as Sara angled the ship downward and hummed along a sand dune.

"Dessert?" he asked openly, trying to figure out where they were. "Where are we?"

"Just outside the Hindu Kush mountain range," She indicated, pointing at the 3d map hovering above the console. "It should be coming into range any second."

Sure enough, the large black shadows of mountains appeared in front of them as they crested the next dune. As Jacob looked around, he noticed the faint flickers of light getting closer. The light just barely revealed what looked like columns carved into rock.

"Wait a minute," He muttered, inching forward and peering into the darkness. "I recognize that stone work."

Sara said nothing, merely tapped a few controls to initiate the landing sequence. After about a meter, the jumpship groaned to a halt and landed with a shudder.

"You're taking me to Nanda Parbat." he stated, turning to look at Sara, her face slightly tense.

"Well go on foot from here," she answered flatly, undoing her restraints, standing up and brushing past him. She reached forwards and opened the entry hatch, letting it slowly descend to the sand.

"Sara," he called, looking at her confused.

"Just follow me, keep your mouth shut and let me do the talking." She muttered, exiting the ship.

He frowned but followed her, taking a second for his eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness. She tapped an outer panel on this ship causing the door to raise back up and shut as he peered around. The only thing he could see were dunes and rock outcroppings. He turned around to look at the ship and watched as it slowly began to disappear.

"This way," Sara grunted, heading towards the flickering lights.

Jacob quietly followed, looking around him as they walked. The moon barely peaked out through the heavy cloud cover above them, giving the dark night just a tiny glimmer of light. They walked in relative silence for a few minutes, the only sound the sand hissing over their boots. Out of nowhere, Sara suddenly stopped causing Jacob to almost run into her.

"Sara what…" he started, grabbing her shoulders so he didn't knock her over.

"Shut up," she hissed, slowly looking around them. "Don't move and don't say a word, got it?"

He nodded but in the darkness wasn't sure if she had seen it. He felt her move away, taking a step forward before she stopped again.

"Aismi Ta-er Al-sahfer 'abhath ean jumhur Nyssa Al-Ghul." she sudden called out, voice almost being absorbed by the sands. ( **اسمي تاهافر الساهر ، أسعى إلى مقابلة مع نيس ال**

"We know who you are," Came a heavily accented voice from behind them on Jacobs right. "The Mother will be happy to see you."

Shadows began to swirl and move around them both, Jacob could occasionally see the moonlight reflect off their attire. He tried to peer into the darkness and see how many there were, but it was like they had melded with the shadows. The man voice who spoke out, said something in the same language Sara had used but Jacob was unable to translate it. Sara responded back and without warning, Jacob felt clothing behind shoved over his head. He opened his mouth to say something but was shoved forwards quickly, effectively cutting him off.


	25. The First Trial

Jacob was shoved forwards again, fumbling blindly along and almost tripling over his own feet in the sand. Every so often he would receive another shove, sometimes even feeling a hand clamp on his shoulder and steer him the right way. He slowly started counting the steps in his head, hoping that he could find his way out if the need arrived. The feel of sand beneath his feet faded rapidly as it gave way to the more solid touch of stone. His hands instinctively raised as he stumbled again, being swatted down with what felt like metal. Something, or rather someone pulled them behind his back and started tying a chunk of leather around his wrists. .

"Sara?" he called out, voice being muffled by the cloth over his head. He heard her shush him from somewhere on his right.

After another dozen or so paces, his escort grabbed his shoulder and held him firm. For a few seconds, he stood in silence and began to wonder what was happening. He shook his head in an attempt to move the cloth, hoping to find a spot he could see through, but ultimately failed. Another cold metallic slap landed on his bound hands causing him to flinch, making him silently grumble. A few more minutes of silence passed before he managed to hear voices, talking in the same language again. He listened intently, managing to pick out a few words but not making much sense of them other. _Here...craft...beloved? What are you saying?_ He thought to himself, trying his hardest to concentrate. He heard a male bark a few words from behind him but before he could translate them, he felt something strike the backs of his legs. With a groan and a thud, he came crashing down to his knees and almost pitched forwards onto his face.

"It is good to see you beloved," Came a light females voice Jacob swore sounded familiar. "It's been a long time."

"You could say time has...gotten away from me," he heard Sara reply, picturing her grinning as she did.

"I heard of your sister's passing...my deepest condolences for your loss," The woman went on.

"I feel the loss of her friendship as well."

"It hasn't been easy," Sara admitted. "But thank you. That's sort of why i'm here…"

"You know i cannot….i **will** not… use the Pit to bring her back," The woman replied bitterly.

"I wouldn't dare ask, not after knowing what it did to me." Sara confirmed.

"Then why are you here?" The woman asked, Jacob able to hear her stepping closer. "And why bring someone unknown to us?"

"Well it's rather complicated but," he heard her sigh. "I'd like you to meet my nephew."

Silence filled the room again. After a lengthy pause, the female barked a command. Suddenly the cloth over Jacobs head was snatched off, his hair flying all around his face and blinding him with the sudden light. He squinted, blinking slowly and trying to identify his surroundings.

Time felt like it had suddenly stopped as Jacob gazed around the chamber they stood in. Several pillars surrounded them, all seemingly cut from the stone of the mountain. Dozens of candle filled stands sent shadows dancing against the walls. The whole room felt like it had a glow to it, whether it came from the stone or the candles he couldn't be certain. He blinked a few times, taking in the beauty of it all. Several figures stood surrounding them, with more on each side of the pillars. The smell of leather and beeswax floated around the room, mixing with a hint of sweat and a smoaky herbal scent. It all felt familiar to him, but yet was inherently different. His eyes adjusted and he came face to face with Nyssa, mentally kicking himself for not recognizing her voice.

"What is your name, boy?" She asked, her gaze making him feel like she was looking at his soul.

"Jacob Lance," he replied, returning the gaze.

"And your parents?" she asked unblinkingly.

"Laurel Lance and Oliver Queen." he answered quickly.

She remained silent for a second, eyes still on him before barking another command. He felt the sudden press of metal against his hands before hearing a slice. The leather wrapping his wrists fell to the floor, leaving his hands free. With a sigh, he rubbed them both.

"Give me your hands," she commanded, stepping closer and holding out her own. He silently obeyed, lightly touching her skin.

"Now tell me again, who are your parents," she pressed, grasping each of his hands with her first two fingers over his wrists.

"Laurel Lance and Oliver Queen," he stated simply, becoming increasingly aware of how warm her flesh was.

Her eyes locked with his again and she peered into them, hands tightening on him.

"It is true." she said after a few seconds, lightly letting go of him but not breaking her gaze. "They are a part of you."

"You see it too huh?" Sara put in with a smirk.

"I see there is also something more, something between you and him," Nyssa added, looking from both Jacob and Sara.

Sara went silent, jaw clamping shut as Jacob looked away.

"What is this favor you've come to ask?" She asked, turning and walking away, a sly smile upon her lips.

"Well," Sara coughed. "I was hoping you would train Jacob in the ways of the League. He has ample reason to fight."

"And you cannot?" She asked turning around with a frown now on her face. "You know our ways as well as any."

"Can we talk in private?" Sara asked, avoiding the question.

With a wave, Nyssa dismissed the surrounding figures; they silently slipped away through hidden doors and from the way they lead in. Sara walked up to her and lowered her voice.

"I almost got him killed," she admitted in a whisper. "Hell i **did** get him killed, then somehow he came back. He killed an entire room full of trained soldiers Nyssa, saying something about a Baron controlling him. I don't know what to make of it and i hoped he would be safe here, maybe help him with it like your father helped me with my blood lust."

"I know not of any barons," Nyssa replied in an equal whisper. "But things have changed here. Before i can train him, he must pass the test."

"Test? What test?" Sara asked frustrated and confused.

"Come," she urged, waving with her hand and gently escorting her back to where Jacob stood.

"Jacob Lance," Nyssa called, raising her voice and turning to stand directly in front of him. "You have come to this place in search of knowledge and guidance, have you not?"

"I…" he paused, looking at Sara who gave him a slight nod. "I have."

"It is not a matter to be taken lightly," Nyssas urged, locking her piercing gaze on him again. "You could die, or worse….you could fail."

"I will not fail." He stated clearly, hands forming fists at his side.

"Very well then, brothers, sisters," She called, raising her voice even louder and raising her hands. "Prepare yourself."

Sara approached his side and grasped his closest hand firmly.

"I Have no idea what they're going to throw at you, so, good luck," She whispered, giving his hand a squeeze.

"I will not fail," he repeated, looking down and smiling into her eyes.

She returned the smile before she was pulled away gently by Nyssa.

"Come beloved," she urged, steering her to a safe distance.

Jacob turned in a circle, watching as a dozen figures almost materialized from the walls around him. Each one was clad in the leather and metallic gear of a league member. They paused just out of reach from him, one holding a wooden staff stepping closer and tossing it to him. He snatched it out of the air, looking around at his attackers weaponry.

"Hardly seems fair," he muttered, getting the best grip he could on it. "What am i supposed to do with this?"

"Defend yourself," came a female voice from behind him with the accompanied sing of a blade slicing through air.

He managed to spin around in time to barley twist out of the way as the blade passed mere inches from his shoulder. With a grunt, he fell to the side and scrambled to get back up and face his attacker. The figure turned, giving its curved blade a slight spin in its hand as it did. Jacob grasped the staff in both hands, waiting for the next attack to come when he felt the sudden thud of a boot on his back. He pitched forward, barely catching himself in time to roll into a kneeling position as another blade sliced through the air. With a loud smack, the side connected with his left hand and sent a sharp jolt of pain radiating through his arm. The staff wobbled in his hand as he lashed out at an oncoming attack. Unfortunately the attacker sidestepped it easily, countering with the hilt of its sword. A dull thud echoed as metal met the side of Jacob's head, sending him spinning dazed to the floor.

"Get up…" Sara whispered from beside Nyssa. "Dammit kid get up."

Jacob blinked and shook his head, groaning when the movement intensified the pain now spreading through his jaw. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another figure quickly closing the distance and raising a foot to stomp down on his head. With a hard shove to the ground and gripping his staff closer to his chest, he rolled away, managing to get a glimpse of a darkened leather boot sending up a puff of dust where his head once was. He pushed himself up to a kneel again, bringing the staff up in both hands to stop a downwards strike aimed for his head. The staff shattered under the weight of the blow, splitting its length into two pieces between his hands; the swords tip landing just in front of him. He looked down at the two pieces and grinned, much to everyone's surprise.

 _This i can work with_ , he thought to himself as he stood up. Another attacked rushed forwards in front of him, swinging its blade in a diagonal line. Jacob grinned, meeting the blade with his left half and pushing it away before slamming his right down as hard as he could on the figures wrist. Another loud crack echoed, accompanying the clattering of steel on stone as the weapon fell helplessly to the floor. Jacob followed his movement through, lowering his shoulder and launching himself into the figures chest. He heard the omph of air being expelled from a person's chest as he slammed into it, knocking the person off balance and clattering to the ground. With a little bit of effort, he managed to roll over the persons body and turn, coming up in a kneeling position and facing the way he had came. A sideways swipe greeted him, causing him to barely duck underneath, feeling with sudden shift of air above him. As the blow moved away, he launched both his sticks upwards. They connected with the persons masked hood, sending out a crack and rolling its head back. His momentum carried his arms up higher, not being able to recover quick enough to block a low swing towards his belly. The cold steel tip sliced through the cloth of his shirt and he felt warm blood begin to trickle down. Ignoring the pain as best he could, he brought both sticks down, slamming them into the the figures shoulder before snapping one into its head. The figure dropped to the ground and Jacob heard a groan as it stayed there. _One down..._ he thought to himself as he turned to his right. A fist came flying towards his shoulder, connecting and spinning his body around. He moved with the momentum, dropping low and swinging both his broken sticks into the owners leg. The figure cried out, revealing itself to be a woman before he snapped his left stick up into her jaw, accompanying her cry with the sound of wood meeting skull. _Two..._ Another slash came down, slicing cleanly through the cloth on his left shoulder and parting flesh. Blood seeped through, leaving red splashes on the stone. More pain shot through Jacobs body, causing him to grow even angrier. He lashed out with a kick, catching the attacker in the knee and causing the person to pitch forward. Using all the strength he could, he slammed his fist into the hood. With a sickening squelch, blood began to soak the cloth and the figure slumped to the ground. _Three._ He felt leather on the back of his neck as someone grabbed him from behind, yanking him to his feet. He struggled against the grasp, slamming both elbows backwards in hopes of connection. With a sharp spike of pain in his left, he felt his elbow hit something and the hand was gone from his neck. Something slammed into his back, throwing him off his feet and over the wounded figure in front of him. With a groan and a thud, he hit the stone floor, leaving a crimson trail behind him. He could hear the scrape of leather on stone as the figure started to approach him carefully. With a grunt and a push of all his might, he lifted himself up from the dirt, prepared to defend himself yet again. Unfortunately he was not fast enough to deflect another strike slicing across in front of him, shredding through the front of his shirt. He winced as the searing pain, blood splashing upwards onto his face and slowly dripping down his chest. A weight suddenly descended on his arms, dropping them to his side. He fought against it, sluggishly raising his arms up and swinging blindly around him. The figures slowly inched forwards, deftly dodging his weak strikes. Blood began to ripple down his face from a cut he hadn't felt. Slowly his vision began to darken,

"Come on then," he mumbled, trying to stand up and staggering. "I will not die on my knees. Come on!"

The figures advanced one last time, raising their various weapons to strike.

" _Muealaq_ ," Nyssa called, holding up her hand. The figures all froze, hoods snapping in her direction. "He has passed the first trial."

In unison, the remaining standing figures sheathed their weapons, metal scraping against metal echoing around the room. Several of the downed figures, groaned, rolling and trying to stand up.

" _Al'Thaeban, Al'Faar_ see him properly attended to," Nyssa commanded.

The two she named removed their hoods, revealing themselves to be a man and a woman. With a grunt, they pulled Jacob to his feet, draping his arms between them and half dragged him from the room. The rest followed suit, pulling other figures to their feet, each slowing removing his or her hoods.

"What the hell Nyssa," Sara all but screamed, grabbing Nyssas arm and spinning the brunette around to face her as the last person vacated the room. "You said you were going to test him, not almost kill him!"

"Things have changed since your departure, beloved," Nyssa spat, removing the hand from her arm roughly. "He has passed the first trial, you should be proud."

"First trial?" Sara asked aghast. "What do you mean passed? He couldn't even stand up."

"Walk with me," she offered, gesturing forward with a gloved hand. Without waiting for an answer, Nyssa headed off down a corridor.

With a grumble to herself and an audible sigh, Sara set off after the woman.

"Are you going to explain why you almost killed my nephew?" Sara asked, catching up to her.

"We needed to test not only his strength, but also his will to survive," Nyssa explained. "Someone who will fight to the bitter end. Despite being outnumbered, at a severe disadvantage and wounded, he continued to fight. He passed."

"And if he hadn't?" Sar asked bitterly, glaring at the woman.

"Well then he would have perished." She replied flatly.

"I don't like you gambling on his life…" Sara started.

'What would you have me do?" Nyssa growled, abruptly stopping and spinning on her heels to face Sara. "Would you have me train him on a child's whim like my father? Do you want another Malcolm Merlyn set loose upon the world?"

Sara went silent for a minute, knowing full well she was right.

"I am doing everything i can to salvage some semblance of a purpose after dissolving The League," Nyssa continued. "Those few who are loyal, look to me. I will not be an oppressive and tyrannical ruler like my father, i won't."

"What else do you have planned for him?" Sara asked quietly, looking up into her beautiful brown eyes.

"We have designed three trials in which a person must pass before I allow any training to commence. The next trial will test him mentally, i cannot guarantee his safety nor his advance. You are welcome to stay and see him through, we have a room prepared for you."

Sara bit her lip, a worried look spreading across her face before finally nodding.

"This way then," Nyssa urged, smiling and gesturing down the corridor.


	26. The Second Trial

_I know its been a while folks, the last few months have pretty much thrown my life in the wash on spin cycle, but im back now and hopefully ill be releasing an update at least once a week! Cheers_

* * *

The two leather clad assassins half carried half dragged Jacobs body through a door outlined in wrought iron before lifting him up and laying him on a stone slab. An ancient looking woman wearing swishing silk vestments shuffled over and began inspecting his wounds.

"Another wayward soul?" she asked in a raspy voice, lightly reaching out and touching Jacobs skin. His eyes fluttered opened and he groaned, trying to sit up.

"Hold him down," she urged, waving a gnarled hand at the pair in front of her.

The two silently obeyed, securing both his hands and feet to the table. The old woman shuffled around picking herbs and bits of dried plants from an wooden table in the corner. She tossed a handful from several piles into a marble mortar and pestle, grinding away as she shuffled back over to Jacobs side. With a few quick snippets to the pair, the female gently lifted up Jacobs head as the male emptied the contents of the mortar into a small wooden cup. A splash of a red colored liquid later and the older women forced the mixture down Jacobs throat. He coughed and sputtered, splashing it all about before groaning and attempting to thrash about. After a few minutes the groaning turned to animalistic grunts, continuing even harder to break free from their restraining grip.

"A lot of fight in this one," the old woman mused, a sly grin streaking across her face.

"He took down three of our own…." The man hissed, his voice almost carrying a venomous tone.

"Ta-er Al-sahfer brought him," his female companion added, her light airy voice almost a squeak.

"Hmmm," the woman mussed, fingers spreading more herbs across the open wounds.

She picked up another bowl, dipping her fingers in a mushy concoction before smearing it inside the worst ones. Jacobs body gave one last shake before settling down and relaxing. The old woman wiped her fingers clean on a red piece of cloth. Placing one hand on each side of his face, she gently forced his eyes open. She muttered something to herself before letting them slide shut, fingers trailing down his face to his chest where she prodded seemingly random spots.

"You can release him," she said, not looking up from her work. "The herbs have begun to take effect."

"Are you sure?" the man asked, hands hesitating where he still held onto Jacob.

"Yes, yes," she grumbled, waving him away. "I sense greatness in this one…"

The door quietly swung open, leaving a soft shudder in the air. The two standing nearby turned, and upon seeing Nyssa walk in, immediately took a step back and bowed their heads in respect.

"How is he?" she asked, walking up and lightly touching his chest, feeling his breath slowly filling his lungs.

"The boy is strong," the old woman mused, shuffling around and mixing more herbs in her stone bowl. "Remarkably so…"

"Good," Nyssa replied, grinning and gently brushing his hair out of his face. "How long will he need before we commence with the second trial?"

The older woman gnashed her remaining teeth together before clicking them together and grinding a stone pestle into the bowl.

"Twelve hours, at least." She grumbled, picking up another bowl and filling it with various herbs and powders.

" _Al'Thaeban, Al'Faar,_ you will watch over him," Nyssa commanded, turning away from Jacob and the older woman.

"Yes, Mother," They replied in unison.

Nyssa nodded, sparing a smile in Jacobs direction before taking her leave.

"Will he live?" the female, Al'Faar asked in a soft quiet tone and taking a step towards Jacob.

"Let me work, child." The older woman shot, giving her a shove before smearing another mixture across Jacobs wounds. "You were told to watch."

The younger woman remained silent, taking a quick step backwards.

* * *

Twelve hours exactly passed as Nyssa silently opened the door to the stone chamber. The heavy aroma of burning herbs and tangy taste of alcohol lingered in the air. The male of the pair, Al'Thaeban, sat in a wooden chair in the corner. His eyes were completely closed and his chest quietly rose and fell, sleep had completely overtaken him. Al'Faar, the young woman stood fully awake close to the stone slab, giving Nyssa a nod and a soft smile as she entered. She approached the stone table herself, finding Jacobs chest rising and falling in the same manor. All but a few patches of his skin on his chest were smeared with the concoctions, leaving a multicolored mess.

"Where is Al'Maealij?" Nyssa asked softly, not wanting to wake either man.

The young woman pointed silently to a small wooden bed pressed close to the stone wall where the ancient woman slept soundlessly.

"She already prepared the mixture," she whispered quietly, nodding to a bowl filled with a milky blue liquid that seemed to move all on its own.

"It is time then," Nyssa whispered, slightly shaking Jacobs shoulder.

His eyelids fluttered for a second, before a groan passed his lips and he slowly woke up. Without giving him any warning, she parted his lips with the edge of the bowl. As quickly as she could, she dumped the mixture down his throat.

"Do not speak, just drink," she urged as he tried to turn his head away. His eyes squinted in confusion before he ultimately began to swallow the liquid. Once the contents were consumed, she removed the bowl and helped him sit up.

"What was that?" he groaned, face showing his disgust. "Tasted awful."

" _Nymphaea caerulea_ ," the woman to his right answered, taking the bowl from Nyssa and laying it on the stone beside him.

" _Al'Thaeban,_ _Al'Faar,_ bring him," Nyssa cut in before he could speak again.

They nodded simultaneously and began to lift Jacob from where he lay and brought him to his feet. With a groan of protest, he stood, feet shuffling as he was carried forward. Nyssa opened the door and led the group from the room.

In the corridor the group was approached by a hooded figure, clad in the same uniform leather as Jacobs two companions. He or she, he couldn't tell, approached Nyssa and gave a small bow of its head.

"Go to _Taer Al'Safirs_ chambers and inform her, the second trial is about to commence," She urged, addressing the nameless soldier. With a nod of its head, it silently disappeared down a corridor before Nyssa began leading the small group in the opposite direction.

"What do you mean, second trial?" Jacob asked, frowning at both the assassins at his side. Neither one spoke. "Nyssa?"

"Soon all will be revealed," she stated flatly, continuing down the corridor.

They passed several adjoining corridors, flames flickering behind them as they passed and leaving shadows dance across the walls. As they passed, a shadow out of the corner of Jacobs eye caught his attention. He turned his head, swearing he saw a face. With a squint of his eyes, he looked harder down the corridor. _Thea?_ He thought to himself before blinking and shaking his head, trying to focus. All he saw was an empty corridor. Passing by a few more and coming to a very sturdy looking wooden door, they stopped. Nyssa pulled on an iron ring attached to it.

The door creaked open loudly, revealing a stone room lit by a set of torches hanging high on the wall. A very pungent smell creeped out, burning Jacobs nose and causing his eyes to water. Chains littered the floor and walls, clanking slightly as his companions stepped over them. As carefully as they could, they sat him down in the center, quickly hooking up the shortest chains to his ankles. The male companion quickly exited the room once his side was secured, leaving his female partner behind.

" _Ynju,_ " she whispered quietly as she snapped the last chain into place.

"What?" he asked, wearily looking up and trying to focus his eyes on her. Either she didn't hear him, or chose to ignore him because she stood up and exited the room without a moment's hesitation.

Nyssa turned and nodded silently to the pair outside the chamber. In reply, they shoved the door closed, leaving a thud to echo around the room. Nyssa turned back to face Jacob, standing with her back to the door and hands clasped behind her back.

"I am going to ask you questions," she started, her voice vibrating off of the stone walls in a peculiar manor. "You will answer."

"Do i have a choice?" He replied grimly, shaking the chains attached to his legs.

A smirk crept to her lips as she shook her head, sending her dark hair swaying around her face.

"What is your name?" She asked, staring at him intently.

"You know the answer to that," he sighed, shaking his head and blinking slowly. Both his voice and hers started to waver about in the air in a psychedelic manor.

"Answer the question." She replied flatly. "What is your name?"

"Jacob Lance," he answered, lifting his eyes up to look at her. A shadow began to move from behind where she stood as his answer echoed around the room.

"And who are you?" She asked simply, her voice seeming to repeat the question over and over around him.

"I am the son of Laurel Lance and Oliver Queen." he answered, eyes trying to follow the shadow as it drifted farther away from her body.

"Laurel Lance….Oliver Queen…." the words rebounded off the walls and crashed around him causing him to flinch slightly.

"I asked who you are, not your lineage." Nyssa voice broke into the cascade of sound.

"I am Jacob Lance," he repeated, eyes starting to swim in his sockets, sweat beginning to bead up on his face.

"Jacob Lance…..Jacob….Lance….Jacob….."

His head began to throb, the words feeling like the clap of thunder around him. The shadow crept farther away from Nyssa and closer to where he knelt.

"Who are you?" Came the question, Nyssas once calm voice sounding like a crescendo.

"I don't know….." He muttered, trying to cover his ears. "I dont understand...dont…."

* * *

"Has it started?" Sara asked, walking up behind the two members outside the door.

"It has," they both said in unison.

Sara watched from outside the door, her vision partly obscured from the small viewport cut into the door.

"What is she doing to him?" She asked to the two guards beside her. "Whats going on?"

"You must watch, and wait." The female of the two answered, nodding her head and continuing to stare ahead.

* * *

"Jacob…" echoed his answer around him, slowly beginning to soften and moving closer. "Jacob…."

He tried to lift his head to look at the source of the voice but his head suddenly felt weighted down.

"Jacob," Came the voice again, this time accompanied by a warm touch under his chin, pulling his gazes upwards.

He peered into the shadow directly in front of him, vision slowly starting to clear after blinking several times.

"Jacob…." The voice called, this time becoming more clear and recognizable.

He shut his eyes tightly for a few seconds before finally opening them and staring at a face he knew instantly.

"Thea?" He asked, his own voice coming out strained and full of emotion.

"It's me," She replied, smiling happily and all but melting his heart.

Words suddenly became stuck in his throat, finding himself completely unable to reply.

"Why are you here Jacob?" She asked, hand caressing his cheek.

"You know why im here," he sighed, nuzzling her warm skin. "For you, for Laurel, for Ollie."

"You can't keep using that excuse," she sighed, slowly taking her hand away from his cheek. "She wouldn't want you to do this, Ollie wouldn't want you to do this to yourself."

"I have to…" he started,opening his eyes and glaring at her.

"No you dont!" she urged, cutting him off. "This isn't for me, this isn't for any of us. It's for you! You could go home, back to Star City! Be with me, well her , but me! You could have a quiet life!"

"You don't understand….you're not her…." He grumbled, shaking his head.

"Laurel would be disappointed! Oliver would be ashamed of you!" She screeched, her face beginning to take on a demonic appearance.

"Shut up...shut up...shut up…" he muttered, squeezing his eyes tightly shut.

"You failed!" Thea screamed, her face and voice contorting horrifically.

"I haven't…."

"Jacob Lance!" Came a new voice, deeper and slightly modulate voice. "You have failed this city!"

Jacobs head was forced up by the bite of a metal arrow tip, his eyes snapping open to look at where the voice originated. The Green Arrow stood in front of him, bow drawn back and preparing to lose a shaft into Jacobs throat.

"I haven't…..." Jacob started, eyes meeting the pitch black gaze from behind the domino mask.

"Quiet!" The Green Arrow snapped, the arrows tip digging into Jacobs skin and causing blood to slowly well up.

* * *

"What the hell is happening?!" Sara burst out, inching forward towards the glass. "He's bleeding!"

"It is a hallucination," the male of her two compatriots addressed flatly.

"What his mind produces, his body makes a reality," The female put in, gently pulling Sara backwards by the shoulder.

"And if his mind thinks he's dying?" Sara asked again, spinning around and swatting the female's hand away. "What then?"

"Then he will die." The male shrugged, as the female nodded sadly.

* * *

"What happened to you bro?," Came the voice again, this time changing to the freckled face of Wally west. "You're killing people now?"

"I didnt…" Jacob started to reply, words sticking in his throat. "It's not like i…"

"Liked it?" Wally finished, shaking his head. "But you did man, you even asked that wack job for your own turn at it for what they did to Sara…."

"They would have killed her!" he protested.

"So instead you killed them?" Wally asked, disgust spreading across his face. "Is that what's become of my brother?"

Jacob sat silent, his face and body wracked with guilt.

"I guess so," He sighed, running a pale white hand through his unruly red locks. "In truth that's what you were, a killer. You're the reason we're dead after all."

"That was Prometheus…." Jacob shot back, trying to stand up.

"Who was there looking for YOU!" The redhead growled, raising a finger and stabbing it at Jacob. "If it hadn't been for you, our whole family would still be alive!"

"Im sorry," Jacob whispered, eyes dropping shut in shame.

"I should have never taken you in…" The voice came again, changing tone and shape to match that of Laurel Lance. "The system should have handled you, maybe carted you off to some orphanage across the country."

"Laurel….mom…." Jacob pleaded, shaking his head. "Not you…."

"You cost me my husband….my sister...my entire life!" She accused, face contorting in fury. "You cost me everything!"

With a shrill screech, she let loose a sonic blast and knocked Jacob down to the stone floor. A second blast hit him full in the chest, washing over him and rippling through his body. The pain lasted for what felt like hours before the mind shattering sound wave relented. Jacob groaned in pain before sitting up and wiping the dripping blood from his nose. A modulated laughter began to grow louder and louder in the air, reverberating and echoing through his head. His eyes snapped open and lifted, meeting the mottled mask in front of him.

"You son of a bitch!" He growled, launching himself forward only to be stopped by the chains around his legs.

"Yes, me!" Prometheus gloated raising his arms wide. "I made you a promise, boy. You will never be rid of me!"

"I should have…." Jacob started, thrashing against the pull of them chains.

"What? Killed me" Prometheus finished, letting forth another burst of modulated laughter. "You can't kill me, you never could…"

With the creak of leather rubbing, Prometheus lifted his hand and pulled his mask from his head.

"Because I'm you," he continued, the voice changing from its modulated menace to Jacobs very own.

Deafening silence filled the room as Jacob stared in horror at the mirror image of his own face.

"What the hell?" Jacob finally asked, his voice a hoarse whisper. "How?"

"It's simple really," Prometheus replied, smirking and kneeling down mere feet away from Jacob. "I'm every dark desire, every thought you've had that's been less than decent, all the parts of you that you try to keep locked away. Your mind is twisted to the point where you couldn't cope, so you put a mask on it to cover it up."

Jacob closed his eyes and with a shake of his head, tried to clear the image from his sight.

"Such a silly thing," Prometheus went on, leather groaning as his arm held up the mask to his own face and peering into the eye holes. "It's just a pile of rags and a bit of leather, yet its tormented you for so long?"

Jacob opened his eyes, groaning audibly when he saw the man before him still there. He gave another yank on his chains, trying his hardest to free himself.

"I mean look at it," He went on, ignoring Jacobs desperate struggle and turning the mask towards him. "It's really rather pathetic."

"Get that thing out of my face," Jacob growled, hands curling into fists and face contorting in anger.

"Or what?" The tormentor laughed shaking the mask. "What could you possibly do right now?"

"I will find a way to end you," Jacob spat, lunging forwards only for Prometheus to lazily jump backwards out of reach.

"Why wait?" Prometheus asked, grinning evilly. "Let's settle this now, you and me."

"Unshackle me," Jacob growled, standing up.

"From what?" He asked, donning his mask and tossing his sword to Jacobs feet. The clatter of steel on stone rang throughout the room, echoing back to the center again.

Jacob shook his foot, expecting the chain to rattle in response, only to find the shackle suddenly vanished. He stood there for a few seconds, bewildered. The confusion only lasted for a few seconds before he snatched up the fallen sword and rushed at Prometheus. Modulated laughter filled the room once more. Jacob slashed wildly at the man, nay the monster, blade cutting through the air again and again. Each slash was avoided as Prometheus lazily ducked, turned and twisted out of the way. After the blade flashed by his face, he rushed forwards, slamming a gloved fist into Jacobs chest and knocking the man backwards. The digitized laughter rang out louder as Jacob doubled over and gasped for air.

"Give it up boy," Prometheus taunted, arms crossing over his chest. "You will never beat me."

Jacob lifted his head, breath barely filling his lungs and grinned. He shoved off the ground with every ounce of strength he could muster, rushing at the man. The laughter began again, Prometheus standing ready. Jacob slashed across the mans chest, randomly at first. Each slash again was deflected before one finally landed, ripping the leather. Prometheus lifted a gloved hand and touched the cut, crimson liquid wetting the dark leather as he moved it away. Jacob grinned evilly, kicking forwards with his right leg and slamming the man into the stone wall behind him. Again Jacob slashed with the sword, blade cutting through leather and starting to sing. In a matter of moments, Prometheus was reduced to a bleeding mess, sliding down the wall with a groan. Blood began to pool around the man, staining the stones red.

Jacob closed his eyes, expecting and hoping that the vision would end. Clapping began to ring out, breaking his from his hopes and snapping his eyes open.

"Well done," Prometheus modulated voice called, heavy with pain and starting to slow. "You've managed to to defeat me. But have a look at yourself."

Jacob frowned before looking at himself. His hand still clutched the sword, now covered in dripping blood and starting to congeal. He looked away, down towards his chest and saw his own scars, a horrific realization coming to his mind. Each and every cut, each slash and bleeding wound now on Prometheus, mirrored one of his own scars.

He took a step back, dropping the sword with a clatter.

"Ahh, now he gets it," Prometheus laughed, groaning as he stood up. Blood continued to spill from each of the cuts, now cascading down his chest towards the floor. "Now stop running from it boy, just embrace it!"

He started to walk forwards, towards Jacob before snatching up the fallen sword and spinning it around in the air. The blade was now pointed towards Prometheus, handle held out in front as he continued stepping.

"Do you have the stomach to end it?" He asked as Jacob inched away, shaking his head and muttering to himself. "Can you end it? Can you do what you must"

Silence came in response as the bleeding man pushed farther on.

"It wouldn't be your first, nor will it be your last," He continued on, feet steadily padding onwards despite the slickening stone.

Jacob continued to back up from him, before finally coming to the opposite side of the room, his back to the stones.

"Do it," Prometheus urged. "Do it!"

"Do it!" Came Laurels voice, shrieking out the words.

"Do it!" Came The Green Arrows in a modulated tone.

"Do it!" Wally West urged.

"Do it," finally came Theas voice, completely calm.

"Do it," he found himself whispering as he grabbed the hilt of the sword, plunging it through Prometheus leather and through his chest.

A groan escaped the mottled mask, this time completely unmodulated. Blood began to trickle through the mouth opening, joining its companions in wetting the floor. With surprising strength, Prometheus gloved hand shot up and pulled both Jacobs shoulders towards him, bringing his face just inches from the mask.

"This is what you are," Came a whisper, barely audible.

Jacob pulled his hands away in garish surprise. The laughter began to fill the room, echoing his dying words.

"This. Is. Who. You. Are." They rang, bouncing off of every wall with a thunderous volume.

Jacob shoved away the body before clamping his hands over his ears. Each word vibrated through his head over and over, feeling like each syllable was going to kill him. After a few moments the assault ended, the pain slightly receding. He carefully lifted his hands, finding a much quieter voice speaking to him.

"Jacob Lance," Came the voice. "Who are you?"

He opened his eyes and looked up. Gone were the shadows, gone was the blood stained stone and sword. Now instead he looked up to see the flickering of torchlight and Nyssa standing patiently in front of him.

"Who are you?" she asked again in the same quiet tone.

"I am a killer and i am lost." he sighed, standing up.

"And what is it you seek?" She asked, stepping forwards.

"Justice. Vengeance." He stated simply.

"For who?" she asked again, taking another step forwards. "Who are you really doing this for?"

"Myself," he admitted, sighing and hanging his head.

She took several more steps forwards till she was standing directly in front of him. Very slowly and in a non threatening manor, she placed her hand underneath his chin, lifting his head.

"Jacob Lance," she started, looking directly at him and smiling. "You have passed the second trial."

He smiled in a wordless response, watching as she signaled towards the two standing outside. With a series of whines and groans, the door gave way and a gust of air breezed in. Jacob took a deep breath, his sweat soaked skin starting to cool. The two assassins entered, releasing the shackles around his ankles and stepped to the sides, one arm outstretched in the direction of the door. Surprisingly both had smiles adorning their faces, Jacob noticing the female of the two.

"Come, you are allowed a moment's rest before the final trial," Nyssa announced, extending a hand for Jacob to take.

He accepted, walking side by side with Nyssa towards the rooms entrance, both of the guarding assassins taking up positions behind them.

Upon reaching the door, Jacob suddenly stopped, a flutter catching his eye on the ground.

"Hold on," he called, releasing Nyssas hand and kneeling down.

A small black feather laid on the ground, completely undisturbed. With gentle fingers, Jacob picked it up and examined it. The quill was warm to the touch, the vane was complete and soft. He stood, clutching it softly in his hand. The soft echo of a bird call floated to his ears.

"What is that?" Nyssa asked, peering at Jacobs hand as he shook his head softly.

"A feather, " he replied simply.

Her face took on a split second look of confusion before the two following assassins gently nudged him forward, the female closing the door behind them. A resounding thump echoed around the room one last time before every torch was snuffed out, throwing the room into darkness once again.


	27. A Brief Respite

"What next?" Jacob asked quietly as he kept pace with Nyssa, the two guards now walking behind them both in escort.

"We have prepared quarters for you," She replied simply, keeping her eyes forward as they quietly paced through the stone corridors. "You will be allowed a moment's rest to gather your strength and to make sure the compound has fully left your system before we proceed."

'How long is a moment?" he asked with a smirk.

"Exactly 24 hours," she answered flatly, coming to a halt as they rounded a corner and stopped infront of a wooden door, the mirror image of ones they had passed on the way.

Nyssa stepped to one side of the door, signalling for Jacob to open the door himself. With a grunt, he shoved the door open and stepped through.

Inside was a medium sized chamber, perfect for a living space. A plain wooden bed sat off to his right with what looked like simple cloth sheets neatly tucked into themselves. Several candles flickered around the room,causing their warmth to radiate off of the stone. Off to his left sat a small circular wooden table with a jug filled with some sort of liquid. Two hand carved cups shared the space with a plate of assorted fruit and cheese pieces.

"It isnt much," Nyssa admitted, stepping inside and pouring one of the cups from the jug of liquid. "But it should suffice for the time being."

She picked the cup up and offered it to Jacob, who frowned and looked at the contents with a skepticism.

"Water," She laughed, taking a drink from it herself. "The aftereffects will pass faster if you eat and drink something."

"What after effects?" He asked, hesitantly taking the cup and sipping from it. It was indeed just water.

"You may experience a residual hallucination," she admitted, plucking a few grapes from the plate and a small cube of cheese, popping one into her mouth before offering the rest to Jacob.

"We've found that they tend to be less….potent...under plain surroundings," she went on, after chewing the grape.

"That echoing chamber was pretty plain and that vision was pretty powerful," he grunted, accepting the food but not immediately eating it. Instead he paced around the room and surveyed it.

"That chamber was specifically carved with intention on magnifying the second trial," She offered, watching him slowly move around. "You needn't worry about that here."

A few minutes of silence passed as he walked around, eyes scanning the room and occasionally drifting over to Nyssa. Everything about her appearance was the same as he knew: the way her soft dark hair drifted down her shoulders and curled slightly at the tip, the curvature of her lips and the ample swell of her bosom. He could have easily been standing in front of the women he had known for most of his life.

"I will let you take your rest then," Nyssa said, breaking the silence and causing him to dart his eyes away from her quickly.

He nodded silently, walking to the table and pulling out a chair to sit on. With a sigh, he gently laid the feather still clutched in his hand, down on the table and sat. The chair was strong and warm, he could practically feel the crafters soul radiating through the wood.

"Jacob…" Nyssa called, hesitating at the open door.

He looked up, seeing she had her back to him and noticing the definition in her backside.

"It isn't many people who haven't been broken by the second trial," she started, turning her head slightly to look at him out of the corner of her eye. "It is no small feat to conquer one's own mind."

He gave a small smile and nodded wordlessly, seeing the look of pride in her eye before she left the room. With a creak of hinges and a soft thud, the door shut behind her.

Jacob sighed to himself before taking a long drink from the cup, emptying it quickly before sitting it down on the table and refilling it. _How long has it been since i've eaten last?_ He thought to himself. His stomach answered his unspoken question as he opened his opposing hand, inspecting the pieces of food Nyssa had given him before popping them both into his mouth. The grape exploded in a burst of sweetness that complemented the plainness of the cheese. He swallowed them eagerly, sighing with contentment before continuing to eat, from the plate this time.

After several mouthfuls, the plate was empty with the jug not far behind. He wiped his hands on the legs of his pants before leaning to the side and reaching for his back pocket. Finding it empty, he frowned and stood up, frantically searching the opposing cheek. Coming up empty, he started to panic, hands diving into pocket after pocket, still searching for his precious items. After a few moments of terror, he vaguely remembered storing them inside a crate back on Lian Yu. With a sigh and mentally kicking himself for not retrieving them, he sat back down in the wooden chair. _I hope i didnt lose them forever_ , he thought to himself as he stared at the wooden tabletop. He began trying to picture Theas face, heart aching for her touch, or even the sweet sound of her voice. Images began to come back to him, floating about in front of his eyes as he concentrated harder. Unfortunately the more he concentrated, the more her face began to twist and contort into the monstrosity he had witnessed while in the echoing chamber. He clamped his eyes shut and shook his head vigorously, trying to dislodge the terrifying sight. Standing up and beginning to pace again, he began to hum the melody that had comforted him for so many years before, imagining Laurels voice singing to him. It too was twisted, her comforting words disappearing and becoming the screech of blame. He froze, trying to dislodge the sound, trying to think of anything else but ultimately failing.

 _Stop it_ , he urged himself silently. Still the screaming voice of Laurels guilt echoed in his head, soon accompanying itself with the modulated voice of The Green Arrow.

"Stop it," he groaned out loud, squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head. Still they continued.

"Stop it!" he bellowed, throwing the wooden cup he had unknowingly held clenched in his hand against the wall. It rebounded off the stone and clattered to the floor.

A soft knocking came from the door behind him, followed by the creek of its hinges swinging open.

"Kid?" Came a quiet voice, breaking his own mental torture. "Are you alright?"

Jacob turned around, finding Sara leaning around the door to peer inside.

"Sara?" he asked, running his hand through his hair in embarrassment before leaning down and picking up the cup. "I...uh.."

"I heard you yelling," She went on, stepping inside the room and shutting the door behind her.

"It was nothing," he muttured, picking it up and sitting it on the table. "Was stupid..."

"Are you alright?" she asked again, stepping closer to him. "What did you see while you were in that room?"

"I don't want to talk about it," he replied flatly, his back towards her, hands fidgeting with the cup.

"Jacob.." She urged, running a hand up his broad shoulders and forcing him to turn around.

"Im fine," he muttered, unsure if he was trying to convince her or himself; lowering his eyes to avoid hers.

"Then why can't you look at me?" She asked, an amused grin spreading to her face.

His only response was a sigh, refusing to look up. With a grumble, she placed both hands on either side of his face and forced his face up, making him look directly at her. His eyes were filled with a strange mixture of shame and irritance.

"Look at me," she urged, applying a small amount of pressure to his face with her thumbs.

At last, he relented, eyes slowly coming up to meet her own gaze. She peered deep into his eyes, the piercing blue slowly starting to swallow her up. Past his emotional distress, she began to see the same flicker of the unknown that had drawn her attraction on the island. Her body began to feel strange before filling with warmth from her nether regions.

Sara gazed into his eyes as Jacob felt himself start to lighten.

 _Her eyes_ , he thought to himself, suddenly aware of how beautiful she was.

The candlelight reflected in her crystal blue eyes, making them sparkle and shine. His body began to take actions of its own, his hands raising up to grab ahold of her hips, squeezing them firmly. She bit down on her lip as she let out a soft moan. He suddenly felt an increasing urge to kiss her; giving in. Her lips were like soft velvet, warm and succulent. He felt her hands slowly trailing up his sides, slipping around to his back, pulling him closer.

She broke away suddenly, gasping for air, cheeks flushed with desire burning in her eyes. The corner of her lips slowly twitched upward in a smirk as she placed both hands onto his chest and shoved. Jacob fell back against the wall, the warm stone holding firm as he grinned. With one fluid motion, she whipped her shirt over her head and tossed it behind her. She sauntered towards Jacob, as she violently pressed against his lips with a lusty hunger she couldn't control. She ran her hands up his bare torso; fingers embracing each outline of muscle. The anticipation began to escalate between them, causing small beads of sweat to form on their skin.

Jacob eagerly ran his strong hands over every inch of her bare skin trailing down to her toned ass before grabbing firmly and lifting her up. She gasped, , making her break the frenzied kiss for a second before she shoved her tongue into his mouth. Jacob lost all senses as he was overwhelmed with an undying urge as he explored her mouth with his tongue, meeting her own with a hot caress.

Sara moaned deeply into his kiss, digging her fingers into his muscled back, leaving dark red marks. With a half pained grunt, Jacob broke away from the kiss, letting his head fall back as he arched his back with pleasure. Sara grinned as she leaned in to him, trailing her tongue up the side of his neck before nibbling on his ear lobe. Suddenly Jacob spun them around and slammed Sara against the warm stone wall. Sara stared at him, stunned by his strength. He pushed her arms away from his body, snatching her wrists in his hands, as he pinned them above her head. Sara could feel his hunger as he dominated her lips, placing a leg between hers and pressing himself against her. Her eyes held a gleam as she smiled slightly as she eagerly kissed him back. She felt his cock harden and twitch against her pelvis, as a shiver ran down her spine. Her breath hitched as she ground her hips against his thigh, sending pleasure through her body. _I need it,_ she found herself thinking before releasing her leg lock.

With a quick movement, she raised both legs to her chest and pushed Jacob away with as much force as she could muster. The sudden explosion of movement startled him, causing him to stumble backwards and release his grip on her. As he stumbled, Sara managed to land in a crouch, smiling to herself before launching up and shoving Jacob to the bed. He landed with a thump, sending the simple pillow bouncing to the floor. Without a moment's hesitation, Sara furiously began to release his belt, growing frustrated with its presence before just tossing it aside. The buttons and zipper gave way to her urges, unleashing his throbbing cock with a swing before resting directly in front of her. She bit her bottom lip as she leaned down to run her tongue between his defined hip bones. His cock twitched in response, causing her eyes to flicker with a new hunger. With a wink, she grabbed hold of his cock aggressively before devouring its length. Jacob groaned as his head rolled back on the bed, shuddering with pleasure.

Sara swirled her tongue around his throbbing erection as she slid farther down, hand gripping the base firmly. After gagging on it slightly, she slid it back out of her mouth, leaving a trail of saliva behind. She began stroking up and down with her left hand, coating his cock quickly as she regained her breath. With her right hand, she began to gently massage his balls, earning yet another groan for her efforts. Each sound he made, increased her arousal as her panties became soaked with her juices. She bent down, taking his full length into her mouth and feeling the head of his cock hit the back of her throat and began to bob up and down; slowly at first. She could see Jacobs hands tighten in the folds of the bed coverings after each plunge, his balls twitching in her grasp.

Jacob couldn't think past the overwhelming cloud of pleasure that each of her movements brought to him. She feverishly worked his cock, making his whole body rise with ecstasy. Jacob felt himself reach down to touch her, out of instincts. His fingers tangled their way into her hair as she started sliding his cock out of her mouth. Before she could fully release it, he held her head in place by her hair, thrusting his hips up and watching as his cock disappear down her throat. A muffled gasp of surprise came to his ears before he felt her right hand grip his balls in surprise. He looked down to see her eyes wide, watching him.

After a moment passed, she began to choke, pushing his hips down with her hands before his cock slid out of her mouth with a pop. Sara coughed as she placed her hands on his hips to steady herself. Once she had regained her breath, she grabbed a hold of his slick cock with both hands. With a firm squeeze, she watched as his body flinched, his back arching up off the bed slightly. She chuckled to herself, before leaning down and flicking his swollen balls with her tongue.

"Oh my Rao…." she heard him gasp before moaning.

His cock began to bulge, threatening to explode as she gently began to suck on his twitching balls. A movement off to her right caught her attention, Jacob being too caught in the grips of pleasure. She averted her eyes towards the distraction, finding a most delightful sight.

Nyssa al ghul stood just inside the door, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. A long belt of what looked like silk hung from her shoulders, leaving her completely naked underneath. Sara froze, suddenly aware of her current appearance; kneeling on the warm stone, topless with her half nephews genitals in her mouth still.

The sudden stop caused Jacob to sit up, eyes widening in panic when his eyes registered Nyssas presence. His whole body suddenly stiffened in shock causing Sara to release his cock, feeling mortified as she covered her face.

Nyssas eyes flicked from Sara's reddening face to Jacobs, letting a silence fill the air and create a tension.

"Was I not invited?" She asked quietly, stepping forwards, the cloth slipping from her shoulders.

Sara and Jacob froze, eyes taking in the wondrous sight of the now completely naked woman standing in front of them.

Nyssas beautiful brown hair curled slightly around her neck, continuing to spill over her shoulders in a seductive manner. Her eyes were filled with opportunity, just waiting for the spark to ignite the lust held behind them. Her chest gave away her arousal, nipples firm and pointed. What impressed Jacob the most was her abdomen, finding himself wanting to kiss and lick down the well toned flesh.

Saras mortification was gone as fast as it came, she stood up and made her way to where Nyssa stood. Without so much of a word, she grabbed the beautiful womans face and planted a kiss upon her lips. Sara's tongue parted Nyssas lips, meeting the other womans with equal fury and intensity. Moans began to fill the room, emanating from the two seductive women and driving Jacob further into a lust filled haze. Sara broke the kiss and turned towards Jacob.

"Don't move till I say," she threatened, pointing a finger and winking at him. She noticed his bulging cock twitch in response.

She licked her lips, further driving him crazy before turning her attention back to the brunette beauty. She brought both hands up to Nyssas breasts, fingertips brushing her nipples in a teasing fashion. With a squeeze, she gained a moan from the woman's lips as a reward. Sara bent down,giving a playful flick of her tongue over her nipples, before she slowly moved behind Nyssa, tracing her right hand over Nyssa's skin as she did so.

"He tastes amazing," she whispered into Nyssas ear, tongue flicking over her earlobe as she did so; Nyssa gasped, closing her eyes in delight.

"Do you want to try him?" Sara asked, switching to her opposite ear and running her hand down Nyssa's toned body.

She nodded wordlessly, squeezing Saras hand where it lay over her breast. Saras right hand continued its assault on Nyssas nipples while her other hand reached its destination between her legs. Her fingers further confirmed how aroused Nyssa had become, sliding into the womans soaking entrance with ease.

Jacobs cock seemed to reveal his impatience, twitching and almost begging for attention. Sara noticed, between his cocks actions and the look on his face, that she had him completely under her control.

"Are you ready?" She asked, nipping at Nyssas neck and doubling her fingers dance between her legs.

Nyssa opened her eyes and looked over Jacobs body with a burning hunger. She nodded, eyes darting between his erect cock and his eyes.

"On your knees," she whispered, hands leaving their places and pushing firmly on Nyssas shoulders.

The woman wordlessly obeyed, looking up to see Sara making a come here motion with both of her hands. Jacob obeyed as he was beckoned, being rewarded with a deep, tongue filled kiss from Sara. She broke the kiss, placing a finger on his lips before tracing down his naked body and placing a single kiss on the head of his cock. Sara grabbed the shaft of his cock with an aggressive firmness, a groan escaping Jacobs lips, before shoving his length in front of Nyssa's face. Without a second's hesitation, Nyssa devoured as much as she could in Saras grip. Saras eyes lit up, growing to a new level of arousal. Nyssa slowly and seductively made her way to where Saras hand gripped Jacobs cock, tongue trailing on the underside. Out came his cock from her mouth, a small trail of saliva following behind as she licked her lips and looked over at Sara.

"You are correct," she half whispered, half moaned as she placed her own hand around Jacobs length.

Without another word, Sara attacked Nyssa's mouth, plunging her tongue savagely into her mouth. They fought back and forth, kissing each other deeply while stroking Jacob at the same time.

The sight was almost too much for Jacob, his body shuddering with each move their hands made, his cock threatening to explode. Sara broke from Nyssas lips, looking up directly at Jacob and standing up.

"Don't you dare cum yet," she hissed as she released her grip on his cock, forcing Nyssas hand free and grabbed onto his balls with intent.

He jumped, Nyssa watching as his cock twitched in front of her face. Sara headed towards the bed, pulling him gently by his genitals as she did. As soon as he followed and was close enough, she shoved him onto the bed and forced him to lie down.

"Don't move," she warned, a hand on his chest. With her opposing hand, she beckoned Nyssa to stand and join them on the bed.

"I want to watch him fuck you," she whispered in Nyssas ear as she reached down to torment the womans clit.

Nyssa moaned in acknowledgement, replying with another deep kiss. Sara retreated after a few moments, licking her glistening fingers clean of Nyssa juices before bending down and taking Jacobs entire length into her mouth. Jacob moaned in pleasure, hands twitching beside him as he fought the urge to grab her hair and hold her mouth steady. Sara slowly came back up his shaft, pausing at the tip to give a slight nibble before pushing Nyssa into place on top of him.

"I said don't move," she warned, squeezing Jacobs cock threateningly as she tormented Nyssas entrance with the tip.

"Fuck…." she heard him whisper before he snapped silent.

"Are you ready?" Sara asked Nyssa, a wild grin spreading across her face.

Before Nyssa could answer, Sara pushed her shoulders down, ensuring the young man's raging cock slid completely inside. A loud moan from both Jacob and Nyssa filled the air in confirmation. Nyssas hands shot forward, clutching at Jacobs chest and nails leaving pink marks in his skin.

"Oh my…" Nyssa cried breathlessly, body refusing to move. "He's…."

"Oh I know," Sara confirmed, kissing up her back and nibbling at her neck. "I've had him before."

Nyssa giggled with giddiness, her laughter rippling through her body and causing her to grip Jacobs length harder.

"Continue," Sara commanded, helping the woman sit up before grabbing both her breasts.

Jacob slowly began to move his hips in a circular motion underneath Nyssa. She gasped, cheeks flushing and began to move on her own. Jacobs hands left his side, flying to grab onto Nyssa hips and lifting her up ever so slowly.

Just as the tip of his cock was about to fall from inside her, he thrust upwards, pulling Nyssa down and slamming into her hard. Her moans turned to gasps as he repeated the movement again and again. After a few more thrusts, Nyssa was on the verge of screaming. Sara took one hand from breasts and began to play with her own sex. Each thrust brought forth another gasp from Nyssa, causing Sara to become wetter and wetter. She continued toying with her own slickening entrance before finally it was too much.

With a quick jump and a toss of her leg, she straddled Jacobs face, grinding her succulent pussy onto his mouth. Without having to be told, Jacob began to devour her, tongue reaching as far as it could inside her. Saras moans replaced Jacobs accompanying Nyssas. As he lapped at her insides, Sara reached forwards and grabbed a fist full of Nyssas hair, pulling the woman forwards and attacking her lips yet again. Each woman battled with their tongue, hands grabbing at each other. Sara couldn't resist grinding her hips back and forth on Jacobs face, the pleasure building higher and higher. Nyssa too was completely enthralled by the intoxicating air of pleasure, both from Jacobs cock slamming into her and from Sara.

Sara broke free from the tongue battle, gasping for air and holding onto Jacobs chest as she ground her pussy furiously against his face. She could feel the tension of an orgasm building inside of her, coming closer and closer.

Watching Sara completely dominate Jacob was bringing Nyssa closer to her release, causing her to take control. With a careful balance and a quick movement, she grabbed Jacob by the balls and held herself down, keeping his entire length inside her. She began grinding her hips back and forth, his cock hitting the perfect spots inside of her.

Jacob couldn't talk, nor did he want to at this point; his tongue was in heaven, relishing in the taste of Saras delicious pussy. His body felt nothing but pleasure, the sensation of Nyssa gripping his balls while furiously riding his cock. He began to feel the growing pressure of an oncoming orgasm, his balls threatening to empty themselves completely.

Sara cried out incoherent screams as her vagina clenched and spasmed, soaking Jacobs face with her orgasm, as Nyssa slammed herself down and squeezed Jacobs balls tightly. The ball of tension released as she orgasmed, clenching his cock tightly as she soaked his cock, feeling her wetness stream down his balls and coating her finger tips. Jacob felt the pressure release as he came to his fall, balls twitching madly as his body began to tingle, Nyssas contracting her vagina, gripping his cock, forcing his seed to spill within her.

Sara fell forward, face buried into Nyssas chest. Nyssa shuddered at the sensation of Jacob exploding inside of her and matched Saras breathless pants; her own head resting on Saras shoulder.

"That was…" Sara started, panting and trying to force herself to sit up.

"Amazing," Nyssa finished, Sara nodding in agreement.

"I told you," Sara laughed, kissing Nyssa with a quick peck on the lips before shoving the woman to the side.

Nyssa toppled off of Jacobs still erected cock, his seed coating the tip and slowly starting to ooze out of her. Sara caught sight of it and was suddenly overcome with the need to taste. She dove between the woman's legs and began attacking her entrance with her tongue, lapping up the mixture.

 _Oh my god, yes!_ She screamed mentally, the taste causing her own pussy to drip.

Jacob coughed slightly, gasping for air with a smile. He looked down at Sara between Nyssas legs and his cock twitched at the sight. Nyssa looked up, catching his eyes. Wordlessly, she reached up and grabbed him by the hair, pulling him down. Her tongue went crazy on his lips, taking in the taste of her beloved's orgasm and enjoying the combination of Sara and Jacob. She deepened the kiss, Jacob met the fury of her tongue with a rekindled fire of lust. Breaking away from his tongue, she nuzzled at his earlobe.

"Fuck her," she growled, tongue waggling seductively in his ear.

He grabbed Sara by the hips and plunged his cock inside of her. Sara sat up from between Nyssas legs, startled by the sudden fullness she felt, her eyes rolling up into her head and her lips forming a quick O. Jacob began to thrust deep and fast into Sara's tight pussy. Sara grasped onto Nyssas legs to keep from toppling over, completely unable to continue devouring Jacobs seed from inside her.

"Holy shit," she moaned, each thrust sent waves of pleasure rippling up her spine.

Hearing her cry out sent Jacob into a frenzy, his pace doubling and bringing forth incoherent screams from Saras mouth. Nyssa grinned evilly, scooting underneath her beloved and returned the torment Sara had inflicted on her earlier. She grabbed both of Saras breasts, pinching her nipples between her fingers and kissed her passionately. Saras screams became lost in Nyssas mouth.

After what seemed like endless pounding, Sara fought free from Nyssas lips and gasped for air. Jacob refused to relent, bringing Sara closer and closer to a second orgasm. She arched her back, forcing his cock against her cervix and pushed herself over the cliff. With a final scream, and a stream of guttural grunts from Jacob, they both reached their climax. Sara could feel his cock twitching in an insane manor, filling her up with his seed. She fell forward, landing on top of Nyssa and resting her face in between the brunettes breasts as Jacob fell to the side, cock sliding out of her. Neither Jacob nor Sara could speak, both lay gasping for air as Nyssa held Sara, brushing her hair gently and humming.

Jacob tried to stand from where he lay, unfortunately his legs refused to comply. He tried to look over to where the two women lay, his eyes losing focus no matter how much he fought. After a few minutes, he lost all sight completely, giving into exhaustion and fading into unconsciousness


	28. The Third Trial

Jacob awoke some time later, not sure whether it was daylight or still night. He leaned up into a sitting position ever so carefully, his head throbbing and his vision still blurry. Blinking a few times, he managed to see clearly, a few candles in the room still casting enough light. He reached out beside him at first, hoping to feel out Nyssa or Sara laying where he thought they fell before. Hands catching nothing but air, he frowned and gazed all about the room. Gone were Saras clothes from where he thought they landed, gone were Nyssas silks. He reached up to his face, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head. Still, once he opened his eyes, nothing had changed.

 _What the hell?_ He thought to himself, panic slowly creeping into his mind.

He stood up, swinging his legs off of the simple bed and gently standing up. His legs weren't the most stable, causing him to stumble against the warm stones. After a few woozy moments, he regained his footing and walked over to where the wooden cup still lay on the floor.

 _I thought…_ he thought to himself, reaching down and picking it up. _I was sure I picked this up before Sara came in…_

He looked inside the cup, inspecting it's completely dry insides for any residue or foriegn substance. Finding nothing and frowning further, he sat the cup down on the wooden table. Stopping only to pick up the overturned chair, he picked up the partially filled jug and slowly poured its contents into the cup, eyeing the liquid as he poured. Nothing stood out unfortunately, deciding to taste it carefully.

 _It's definitely just water,_ he sighed mentally, finishing the rest of the cup and set it back down.

A knock at the door startled him, spinning towards it ready for a fight. After a second of silence, the door opened, Nyssa walking in, dressed in the same fashion as she was when he had undergone the second trial.

"You're awake, good," She confirmed, smiling and looking at his startled face. "Is there something wrong?"

"Its.. um.." He stammered, face flushing at the memory of her standing inside the door naked. "I think I may have hallucinated again."

"It has been over 24 hours," she announced, frowning at him. "All traces of the compound should have exited your body."

"Well it wasn't right now," he groaned, sitting down. "It was...last night i think? How do you guys even tell time down here?"

"You look unharmed," she replied, ignoring his last question. "As long as that is the case, I would not dwell on what you saw."

Jacob laughed hollowly, looking up and getting another flashback from the night before, he could still feel her lips around his manhood.

"Is Sara still here?" he asked, trying to shake the flash from his mind.

"She is," Nyssa confirmed, nodding her head and sending several brown locks of hair dangling down in such a graceful manor.

"May I see her?" He asked, looking up in hope. "I'd like to talk to her about what I saw."

"Of course," she nodded, sidestepping from in front of the door and allowing Sara to step inside.

Sara looked Jacob up and down, noticing first the motley mess left on his chest meant to heal his wounds, then the strange look in his eyes.

"Would you give us a minute?" she asked, turning to Nyssa.

"..." Nyssa paused, looking between the pair and sighing. "The third Trial will commence shortly, you do not have much time."

Sara smiled, squeezing Nyssas hand as she left the room, shutting the door behind her.

"What's wrong, kid?" she asked, grabbing the matching chair to his own and sitting down. "Rough night?"

"You could say that," he snorted, running a hand through his hair and sitting down.

She raised an eyebrow and waiting a few seconds for him to continue.

"Have you ever been in this room before?" he asked, waving his hand around.

"Not that I know of? Why?" she replied, frowning and looking at him curiously.

"Well after they brought me here, from the second trial, I think the hallucination continued." he went on, trying to find the right words.

"What did you see?" she asked.

"It's more of who I saw, than what," he stammered, dancing around the wording.

"Out with it already," she groaned, growing impatient.

"Fine, at first I couldn't shake what I heard and saw in that freaking echoing chamber," he grunted, fiddling aimlessly with the wooden cup. "I went for my pictures, the two i showed you on Lian Yu, and they were not in my pocket."

"They're safe," she reassured him. "They're in the crate I brought with, on the jumpship."

"That's good at least," he sighed, smiling slightly. "Well anyways, I wanted to see Thea so I tried picturing her in my mind. No matter what I did, her face kept changing to the monstrosity I saw while in that chamber. It kept getting worse and worse, Laurels melody didn't even help. She kept screaming at me, blaming me for everything, even Oliver's voice ..."

He trailed off, fingers tightening around the cup and anger starting to boil up to his face.

"Take it easy, kid," she cooed, reading out and touching his hands lightly.

His eyes closed and he took a few steady breaths, fingers letting up their death grip on the cup and starting to play with hers.

"What happened then?" she asked, smiling and playing along with his fingers.

"You came in," he chuckled. "Comforting me like you are now."

"What's so bad about that?" She laughed, trapping his thumb with her own and getting enjoyment out of watching him struggle to get free.

"Well it..uh…" he stammered, fingers becoming still. "Didn't exactly end there...It went further, like, a lot further."

"So?" She chuckled, letting his thumb free.

"Lets just say this time, we didn't need the waterfall…"

"Oh…" she muttered, slightly shocked.

A few minutes of silence passed between them as they both sat there.

"Was it...bad?" she asked.

"Of course not," he chuckled, turning away from looking at her. "It was ...indescribable."

"Try me," she whispered.

"Intense, hot," he went on, slight shame starting to show on his face. "It was….ah Rao, it was fucking awesome, ok?"

"Really?" she asked, trying to maintain her composure.

"Yes," he admitted. "You did things I could only imagine, im talking toe curling, body draining things. It wasn't just us either, Nyssa joined us at one point."

Sara went quiet, cheeks beginning to flush as she stared at him. He looked up, half expecting to see her face in a mixture of mortification and rage. To his surprise, he saw a smiling creeping to her face. Out of nowhere, she began to laugh, making him smile.

"What?" He asked, trying to hold back laughter.

"Nyssa too?" she asked between laughing bouts. "Me, I can understand, but Nyssa too? Damn kid, your imagination is awesome!"

"What can I say?" he asked, laughter bubbling to his face and shrugging his shoulders.

"Well at least you have good taste," she replied with a wink. "But I have to know, who was on top? Me or Nyssa? Or was it you?"

"Well at first…" he started.

The door wheezing open interrupted him, Nyssa stepping through and looking at the pair questionably.

"Am I interrupting something?" She asked as the two continued laughing.

"Not yet," Sara muttered, giving Jacob a look and causing Nyssa to frown.

"Well it is time," Nyssa announced, gesturing for Jacob to stand. "The Third trial awaits. I hope you are prepared."

"As prepared as i'm going to be," Jacob groaned, standing up.

"Are you coming?" he asked, turning to Sara.

"No, but i'm breathing quickly," she shot back with a wink.

Jacob brought his palm up to his face, groaning and shaking his head as Nyssa's frown deepened further.

"I do not understand," Nyssa said in a confused manner, still looking between the two.

"I'm right behind you two," Sara laughed, waving her hand for them to exit the room.

Nyssa nodded and led the group out of the room and into the hall. Two armed guards stood outside, nodding slightly to Nyssa before moving behind the trio.

"Hey kid," Sara called, stepping quickly up to Jacobs shoulder and standing on her toes to whisper in his ear. "Maybe sometime you'll make that fantasy a reality."

Jacob let out a snort before shaking his head and following Nyssa, Sara taking up the third position behind them and laughing to herself.

"I wouldn't have told you if you were going to just make jokes about it," He muttered so only she could hear.

"Who's joking?" She replied, winking and sending him a seductive smile.

"We are here," Nyssa announced, opening yet another seemingly random door along the way.

In they stepped, Nyssa pushing through the door first and leading the way into another large chamber. The ceiling vaulted high above them, torches adorning the walls clear up to it. Jacob marveled at the span of the room, never had he been in this section of the underground city. Tearing his gaze from the walls, he noticed that several League members had gathered around a set of two metal braziers, both crackling and dancing from the fire lit inside.

"What should I expect?" he asked aloud, looking to both Nyssa and Sara.

Nyssa stayed silent, perhaps ignoring the question, and continued forward. He looked to Sara with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know kid," she sighed. "I've never been in this room either, let alone gone through anything like this."

"Wonderful," he smirked in reply, attempting to follow after Nyssa.

With a bark and an out thrown arm, the two guards escorting the group, blocked his path and gave him a light shove backwards.

"Hold on a minute, kid," Sara eased, touching his hand.

Before Jacob could reply, a serenade of drums began to beat out an erie mellody, filling the open room. Jacob spun around, looking for the source of the sound, raising his hands in preparation for a fight. Sara followed suit, positioning herself at Jacobs back.

"What the hell is going on Nyssa?!" Sara called, voice barely audible over the increasing torrent of sound.

"Quiet!" The guards hissed. "The mother shall speak."

"Jacob Robert Lance!," Nyssa boomed, her voice echoing throughout the room and dwarfing the thunder of drums. "You have come to us from a far away land, you have shown the will to fight despite powerful odds against you. You have conquered your own mind and survived the darkest corners of your soul. We once again must test you, step forwards."

Jacob hesitated, looking from Nyssa to Sara, and to the surrounding members.

"Sara, you must stand away," Nyssa boomed again, indicating for Sara to back away with her hand.

"Good luck, kid," She sighed, gradually putting distance between herself and him.

"Now, step forwards!" Nyssa snapped, the two guards at Jacobs side closing in.

With one last sigh, and a brief smile to Sara, Jacob stepped forwards. As he did so, he could hear the league members snapping to behind him, following him as he went. He continued forward, feet silently padding over the rough stone, arms lower but still prepared to fight. Several more leather clad mutes appeared from the darkness around them, filling the circle as he entered. With a look over his shoulder, he noticed that the two following him had closed the opening behind, leaving him now completely surrounded. His spine began to tingle as he continued forward. After a few more paces, Nyssa held up a single hand, positioning him directly between the two lit braziers and, as he looked around, directly in the center of the circle.

"Bring in the prisoner!" Nyssa boomed, the drums giving another chorus of thunder.

The heavy clink of chains and muffled sound of a femine voice slowly began to grow closer. Jacob turned towards the approaching sounds and after a few seconds, saw two hooded members dragging a body between them. The circle parted as they got closer, closing once again as they passed.

The two dropped the body to the ground once they were positioned next to Jacob, ripping the hood from its head before retreating a step behind.

The voice he heard had indeed been a woman, her face adorned with bruises and a dark substance he only hoped was dirt. The clothing she had worn was now tattered and ragged, barely clinging to her body.

"You have been found guilty on multiple charges, several of which are murder. How do you plead?" Nyssa asked, staring down at the ragged woman with disgust.

"Please," the woman begged, sobbing and holding up the chains that linked her hands. "It was an accident, i didn't mean to…"

"Silence," Nyssa spat.

"Please sir," the woman begged again, now turning to Jacob and clawing at his hands. "Please don't let them kill me!"

Jacob took a step back in disgust, swatting the woman's hands away. One hooded league member stepped forwards and cracked the sobbing mess in the back of the head, sending the woman lurching into the dirt.

"You must choose," Nyssa boomed, the drums speeding up their cadence as she did.

"Choose what?" he asked, struggling to make himself heard.

"Kill or set free," the circle suddenly answered, all in one voice.

"Kill or set free," Nyssa confirmed as one of her body guards stepped forwards and extended his blade to Jacob, handle first.

"What?" Jacob asked out loud, a confused look spread to his face.

"Kill or set free," the circle called out again.

"Choose," the guard in front of him called out as he forced the blade into Jacobs hands before stepping back to Nyssa side.

"Choose," the circle chanted. "Must choose."

This time the entire circled stepped forwards one single step, all at once making Jacob turn around.

"Please sir!" The woman wailed on, holding the back of her head and sobbing. "Please don't kill me!"

"Must choose," the circle chanted again, this time drawing their weapons as the stepped forwards.

Jacob looked from the weapon in his hands to the womans face, taking in every detail. Her eyes were bloodshot, her skin pasty and bruised. Blood began to darken her fingers as she held her head. The flames from the braziers began to dance around wildly to the cadence of the drums. Shadows began to flicker around the room, Jacobs head swimming with wild thoughts. _Kill her_ , came one. _I can't_ , came the reply. _You must, shes a murder._ The beating of the drums were not helping, each slam seemed to throw another line into his mental battle. _Kill, kill, kill._ He began to raise the blade, the woman now bowing her head and weeping, whispering in a strange language. A new set of voice began to mingle in the air, this time speaking in what Jacob recognized as the same Arabic from his league, although he couldn't seem to translate it.

"يجب على المرء أن يختار. يجب على المرء أن يختار. تصبح من أنت المقصود أن تكون. قاتل. عدالة. قاتل. عدالة. قاتل. عدالة. بطل"

"Choose," came the chant again, accompanied by another step forwards.

The drums thundered all around him, his eyes darting from Nyssa, to the woman in front of him, to the blade tip. The circle closed around him yet again. _What the hell do i do?_ He asked himself mentally, eyes continuing their mad dash around. _I am a killer_ , he admitted, eyes focusing on the blades tip. _I could make it quick_ , he thought, looking at the woman's neck and seeing her head fall to the ground. _I should show mercy_ , _but at what cost?_ His eyes began to focus on the circle closing in on him.

The circle took another step towards him and raised their weapons to strike, the drums thungering on with the same pitch now.

"No!" He roared out, slamming the blades tip into the stone, sinking it a few inches down as he let go.

The drums stopped, the chanting stopped, the woman in front of him became eerily silent.

"I will not be a mindless blade for you to order," He declared, staring directly at Nyssa. "I have killed before, that is true, but I will not continue to do so on a whim. I came to this place for knowledge, for guidance. You say this woman is guilty of murder, but what about all of you?" he asked, spinning around the circle. "If this is what is what passes for Justice, if this is what you want me to become, I will not!"

His words echoed in the air before a silence filled the gap after. No one moved, Jacob readied himself for what he thought was the end.

But the end did not come.

"Jacob Lance," Nyssa called out, this time in her normal voice. "You have passed the third trial."

Jacob spun towards Nyssa, eyes widening in shock. On her face was a smile, extending the whole way to her eyes, the same smile he remembered seeing on her face when he was a child.

The circle of members around him sheathed their weapons in one movement, before removing their hoods. He gazed over each one: male, female, it did not matter, each face had a smile.

A rustling beside him caught his attention. He turned towards the forgotten woman, to see her standing up and smiling, all her emotional distress now gone.

"What the hell?" Jacob asked aloud, turning around and looking towards Nyssa.

"She is one of us," Nyssa said, stepping towards the two.

"What if I had killed her?" He asked, taking a step back from them.

"Then you in turn would have been killed," Nyssa stated simply.

"One who kills a league member, will be sacrificed in return," came the collection of voice around him, including the ragged woman.

"There must always be revenge for brothers and sisters," Nyssa affirmed, nodding. "And now, you are their brother."

"Welcome, brother," the ragged woman added, extending her hand and grasping Jacobs forearm.

One by one, the circle members stepped forwards and repeated the greeting. Jacob stood there speechless, staring at each ones face. After the last one moved to the side, Sara walked forwards.

"Were you in on this?" Jacob finally asked as Sara stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around him.

"Not at all," she admitted, giving him a firm squeeze. "Things have changed slightly since i've been gone."

"You will always be my beloved still," Nyssa interrupted, coming forwards and stopping beside them. "Come Jacob, there is one final task you must undertake."

Sara slowly let him go, letting him turn around with Nyssa. Jacob hesitated a step, turning back around to see Sara turning to leave.

"Aren't you staying?" He asked, taking a step after her.

"I can't," she sighed. "I've been away from the ship too long as it is, who knows what sorts of trouble the crews got into."

Jacobs eyes seem to sadden slightly.

"Don't worry kid," she laughed, standing up to kiss him on the cheek. "I'll be seeing you."

He smiled, remembering an old song with those same words in it. Without a doubt, he knew she was right.

"Come, Jacob," Nyssa insisted, letting Sara turn to leave.

Without another moment's hesitation, he allowed Nyssa to turn him away.

Nyssa began leading him forward, back to where the two lit braziers stood but didn't stop there. Farther on down the hall, was another wooden door.

"My father used the League for a fanatical purpose," Nyssa began as they walked towards it. "He perverted the meaning of Assassin, murdering innocents, abusing his followers and twisting minds to his will. That is not what we are here for. We are here to protect the innocent, to preserve justice, to truly do good in a world twisted by darkness."

She opened the door, a metal squeal echoing behind them as they stepped through and entered another stoney room. Torches filled it with a warm orange glow, illuminating a wooden archway with several leather straps hanging from its beams.

"My father demanded that each and every man and woman forfeit his or her past in the name of something new, but that wasn't true. His intention was to continue on with the old, continuing a line of oppression."

She continued on, stopping on the other side of the arch and turning around.

"Come forth," she beckoned him.

Jacob obliged, stopping just underneath the arch and looking up at the leather tassels.

"We will not demand you leave your past behind you, instead, let your past serve as a lesson to you. One must always learn from the past, unless ye be destined to repeat it."

"Now, one must choose a name, one that not only reflects your past, but one that will also guide your future. Most choose the name on their own, but yours has already been chosen for you," Nyssa went on.

"And that is?" Jacob asked.

Nyssa called out in the same language she had used before to command her followers, one to Jacobs right stepping forwards with something small cupped in his hands. He knelt and opened them to Nyssa. With delicate fingers, she produced the feather Jacob had found in the echoing chamber just after the second trial and held it up.

"In the darkest of places, after admitting what you are, your name was given," She announced, showing the feather to the now assembled followers. "Grab firm to the straps."

"For all my fathers faults," she went on, laying the feather at Jacobs feet before stepping over to a brazier on her left. "He was true on one occasion, although it is not a cleansing, no, it is a release. The release of your soul to become true."

She reached down and grasped a metal rod extending from the brazier and held it up. At the very tip was the metal likeness of the same feather now sitting in front of Jacob.

"Let this brand be you," she continued, moving behind Jacob and raising the glowing metal level with his shoulder. "Accept who you are, do not cry out."

Without a second's hesitation, she pressed the brand to his flesh.

Jacob could smell the scent of burning meat coming from his skin, making him dizzy. The searing pain was excruciating, but he forced himself to bear it. He would not cry out, he would endure. Seconds began to feel like hours as he felt the pressure continue.

At last, she lifted the brand, the metal now cooling in color and temperature. Jacob released the straps, falling to the ground and landing in an almost kneeling position, gasping for air and trying not to howl with pain. He could still hear his skin sizzling, his shoulder almost frozen in pain. Sweat began to drip off his face, rolling down his nose and landing on the stones in front of him.

"You have succeeded in our trials, you have survived," Nyssa went on, discarding the brand and circling around to face Jacob. "You have withstood the torment of your own mind and you have shown your conviction. Now rise, _Al'Shahurur,_ rise and join your family."

Jacob stood, pain showing on his face and body protesting. He could see pride showing in Nyssas face as he tried to calm his heartbeat. _One step closer_ , he thought to himself with a grin.


End file.
